Republicans set to champion legislative achievements through promotional campaign during summer months
The Republican tax-and-spending bill, often referred to as the "big, beautiful bill," has passed both the Senate and House, narrowly and largely along party lines. The bill is now with President Trump for signing.
At its core, the bill permanently extends most of President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while increasing spending on border security, defense, and energy production. To partially offset these costs, the bill includes steep cuts to health care programs, notably Medicaid, and nutrition programs like SNAP, adding approximately $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). However, Republicans and the White House dispute those deficit impact estimates.
Regarding Medicaid cuts, Senate Republicans introduced compromises to address concerns from moderates and affected constituents. These compromises include a delay of cuts to provider taxes funding Medicaid from an earlier start to 2028, a one-year postponement. Additionally, there is a $25 billion stabilization fund for rural hospitals over five years, increased from an initial $15 billion offer, aiming to avoid rural hospital closures, a major concern among GOP senators and House members alike.
Despite these compromises, many House Republicans remain anxious about the Medicaid provisions. Behind-the-scenes efforts include frantic communications among GOP members, especially those from rural or deeply affected states, to mitigate the bill’s deeper Medicaid cuts. Some conservatives have expressed reluctance to vote on the Senate’s Medicaid language due to concerns about drastic funding reductions and the chilling effect on hospitals and state programs. Attempts by Sen. Rick Scott to cut federal Medicaid expansion payments have been identified as a sensitive issue for many in the House.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to convene calls and meetings with Republicans to address these outstanding concerns, highlighting ongoing negotiations to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions before final enactment.
As the bill awaits the presidential signature, it reflects sharp partisan divides and internal GOP tensions over Medicaid cuts, with active efforts to sway or reassure constituents worried about losing healthcare access and hospital closures. The Democrats are criticizing the bill for its cuts to social safety nets.
The poll was conducted in the days after Trump signed his massive tax cuts-and-spending bill into law. The approval rating of President Trump among independents has sunk to 29%, while 37% of American adults approve of the job that President Donald Trump is doing. Voters are losing confidence in Trump’s handling of the federal budget in particular.
References:
- CNN
- NPR
- The Hill
- Roll Call
- Science and technology news outlets may discuss the potential impact of the recently passed tax-and-spending bill on research and development funding, given the bill's significant increases in spending on defense and energy production.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, general news sources are focusing on concerns raised by House Republicans regarding the bill's Medicaid provisions, particularly the potential closure of rural hospitals and the loss of healthcare access for constituents.
- Political analysts, reporting on the bill's passage, are pointing out the deep partisan divides it has exposed, with Democrats criticizing the cuts to social safety nets and Republicans facing internal tensions over Medicaid cuts.
- Crime-and-justice reporters might explore the controversial attempts by Sen. Rick Scott to cut federal Medicaid expansion payments, as such efforts have been identified as a sensitive issue for many House members and have raised concerns about drastic funding reductions for hospitals and state programs.
