WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming is sounding upbeat about the massive tax and spending budget legislation called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Today, Senate Republicans stand united,” Barrasso said on the Senate floor Tuesday in reference to the bill ahead of voting that is expected to begin later this week or early next week.
A spokeswoman later clarified that Barrasso’s use of the word “united” did not mean he had all 53 Senate Republicans on board. The spokeswoman said he was referring to Republican unity on the principles embodied by the bill.
The bill has been morphing in Senate committees for weeks and no final language has been publicly released by Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota.
Barrasso must help make sure that at least 50 senators are fine with the final text. Vice President JD Vance would break a tie in the party’s favor, if necessary.
Crucially, the bill is not subject to the filibuster-proof 60-vote threshold in the Senate under the “budget reconciliation” process the GOP is employing.
The House passed the bill by a single vote last month amidst a handful of GOP defections. All House Democrats voted against it, and in the Senate, the bill for weeks has been a punching bag almost daily for the minority party.
Talking Points
Senate Democrats have been calling the bill the “Big Beautiful Betrayal,” the “Big Ugly Bill” or some variation.
They say it would give tax cuts to billionaires at the expense of poor children's school lunch money. They say it would cause millions of people to lose health insurance tied to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the latter also known as Obamacare. They say it would stress rural hospitals to the breaking point.
“It cuts off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood,” added U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, on Tuesday.
Barrasso and other Republicans say the bill would prevent the largest tax increase in U.S. history by preserving tax cuts made in President Donald Trump’s first term that are due to expire. They say the tax relief applies across the income spectrum, and they note the bill would go further by cutting taxes on overtime and tips.
Barrasso and other Republicans say the bill protects Medicaid for “people who need it” — a common refrain for GOP lawmakers — while boosting military and border security spending. The bill would cut Medicaid money for illegal immigrants and impose work requirements on able-bodied U.S. citizen recipients.
Proponents also tout the bill’s language to open up more lands and waters for oil drilling, while wiping out tax credits for green energy industries such as wind and solar power generation, as well as for electric vehicles.
Debt, Accounting
The House-passed version of the bill calls for an increase in the debt ceiling — the nation’s borrowing authority — of $4 trillion.
The Senate’s draft version proposes more: a $5 trillion debt limit hike.
These numbers have rankled some Republicans in both chambers. Many Republicans complain of soaring interest that must be paid on country’s existing $37 trillion in national debt.
In addition, Democrats are accusing Republicans of an accounting gimmick to hide red ink the bill would create. The dustup relates to whether “current policy” or “current law” should be used as the baseline figure for calculations.
Big Picture
Senate committees have been drafting bill sections, which are to be folded into a measure that squeaks through the chamber and does not deviate so much from the House’s version that it fails over there.
In the end, both chambers must agree on identical language to get the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Congress’s finish line could involve a House-Senate conference, where a handful of members from each chamber would hash out a report for the full chambers to treat as the bill.
Or, the conclusion could manifest itself in pingpong fashion, with any number of versions going back and forth across the Capitol.
Byrd Rule
Democrats have scored some wins as the GOP-helmed Senate committees have drafted legislation parallel to the House measure over the past few weeks.
Senate Democrats have been raising points of order under the so-called Byrd Rule as to what is allowed to be in the bill.
The Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, has ruled in their favor in some instances. She has ruled that some of the language Senate committees have drafted is out of order under the Byrd Rule.
The Byrd Rule is actually a section of law named for a former senator. Its purpose is to keep the bill focused on finances rather than broader policy issues.
The upside for the Republicans, though, is the budget reconciliation process gets around the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate.
Also, Senate Republicans are not bound by the parliamentarian's rulings.
Sean Barry can be reached at sean@cowboystatedaily.com.
