A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Senate Republicans are racing against the clock to pass President Trump's signature domestic policy bill.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Their self-imposed July 4 deadline is just over a week away, and they're struggling to resolve some sticking points in this tax and spending bill. The debate has made their schedule a little bit uncertain.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. NPR political reporter Elena Moore is following all of this. All right, so the president wants this bill passed as soon as possible. What's stalling that?
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Well - so the bill contains a lot of Trump's agenda, like those tax cuts and more money for border security and defense, and senators are united in delivering on all those things. They're divided on how to pay for it. You know, one big issue is over the future of Medicaid, the federal program that provides health coverage for low-income and disabled Americans in partnership with states. And, you know, in particular, there's a proposal on the table that would require states to decrease the amount that they can tax Medicaid providers. And that would, in turn, affect the formula that calculates how much federal spending a state gets as part of this joint program. And so that could end up saving the government cash, but some senators are not happy with this idea and worry it will particularly hurt rural hospitals. You know, talks to get those senators on board are ongoing. And remember; Republicans can only afford to lose three votes in the Senate.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. And Medicaid is just one of several disagreements.
MOORE: Yeah, exactly. And, you know, there's also a debate about whether to scrap a bunch of clean energy tax credits that were implemented during former President Joe Biden's administration. You know, fiscal hawks in the Senate want these to go, but others are pushing back and say that immediately taking away some of these investments could cause Americans to lose jobs and face higher prices.
And, you know, A, outside of just policy issues, the Senate is also dealing with procedural issues that come with the budget tool they're using in order to pass this bill on a simple majority vote, which allows them to potentially get the bill through without Democrats. And, you know, that process is slowing things down, too.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. Policy issues, procedural issues...
MOORE: (Laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: ...Lots of issues, it sounds like.
MOORE: Yep.
MARTÍNEZ: Let's just say for a second that the Senate is able to pass this bill. Then what happens?
MOORE: Well, then it would go back to the House of Representatives, and they have to vote on it, too. The House narrowly passed its own version of the bill last month. And big picture, these two bills are just not expected to be super different. But when we pull back the curtain, there may be aspects that anger some House Republicans. And that could be a problem for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has very tight margins in the House. You know, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin has been trying to work with some House members who have concerns, but he's hoping Republicans can ultimately solve their differences, given they agree on the main parts of this bill.
MARKWAYNE MULLIN: This is a really good start moving us all in the right direction, but all of us have some concerns with the bill. But that's what happens when, you know, you're negotiating any bill in here and you get 535 opinions.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, so how are they going to get past all this before the end of next week?
MOORE: Well, the president may play a key role in that. He's hosting a big event this afternoon with what the White House calls everyday Americans, like a DoorDash driver who wants to see no tax on tips. And he'll be putting more pressure on Republicans to just get this done.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks.
MOORE: Thanks, A.
(SOUNDBITE OF PHILANTHROPE, ET AL.'S "SEARCHING") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
