Senate Republicans are unlikely to release full revised text of their sweeping domestic-policy bill Monday as they had hoped, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics, reflecting a behind-the-scenes scramble to finalize the legislation for passage this coming week.
The timeline slip comes after GOP leaders saw setbacks over the weekend when Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that key pieces of their bill didn’t comply with the strict rules governing what can be included in a bill they are hoping to pass along strict party lines, skirting a 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Republicans also still need to make final arguments to MacDonough on Finance Committee language, a key portion that touches on their tax plan and changes to Medicaid. That meeting is now set for Monday, and senators are not expected to get rulings any sooner than Tuesday.
Senate Republicans will still meet Monday night to get briefed on the status of negotiations and what to expect as Majority Leader John Thune threatens to keep them in session until the bill clears the Senate. Republicans are currently aiming to take a first vote on the bill on Thursday — a timeline POLITICO reported last week.
Thune has been in active negotiations with his members, including over the inclusion of a fund to help offset any financial hit that rural hospitals could take because of the Senate GOP plan to curtail provider taxes, which many states use to help fund their Medicaid programs. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told POLITICO late last week that based on his conversations with House Republicans he did not believe the Senate provider tax language could clear the House, which included only a freeze on the tax in their version of the bill.
In addition to internal negotiations, Senate Republicans also still need to work out a deal with the House on the state-and-local-tax deduction, and they are facing pushback from House hard-liners over their softening of cuts to clean energy credits.
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