Trump wants budget bill by July 4, despite Senate GOP’s Medicaid setback
by TheHill.com
The Senate parliamentarian dealt a big blow to Republicans’ plans to cut Medicaid as part of its “big, beautiful bill.” The move could jeopardize the July Fourth deadline set by Senate Majoirty Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who said he would not challenge the ruling.
Elizabeth MacDonough rejected a plan to cap states’ use of health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding, a proposal that would have generated hundreds of billions of dollars in savings to offset the cost of making President Trump’s corporate tax cuts permanent, according to a Democratic summary of the parliamentarian’s ruling.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has called for MacDonough to be fired in the wake of her Mediciad decision.
And Trump is still expecting the bill on his desk by July 4, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Thursday afternoon.
The Supreme Court issued new opinions Thursday, the penultimate day of its current term, including rulings on South Carolina’s ban on Planned Parenthood receiving Medicaid funds. The outstanding opinions include one in the birthright citizenship case, which is almost certain to be released Friday.
Earlier Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned members of the media for a press conference on Thursday, during which he trashed their coverage of U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. He singled out Fox News’s Jennifer Griffin, a former colleague.
Neither Hegseth nor Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine presented new information supporting the administration’s contention that the strikes on three facilities “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program. Caine said the bombings were carried out exactly as planned, but noted the military does not “grade its own homework,” while Hegseth leaned on statements released Wednesday by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA chief John Ratcliffe.
Questions about success of Iran strikes spark fears on Capitol Hill
The Memo: Trump fights to hold on to narrative of Iran win
Follow along here for updates on these stories and more.
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31 minutes ago
White House insists strikes on Iran ‘absolutely successful,’ ‘total obliteration’
Alex Gangitano
Leavitt insisted that the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities were a success, continuing with the administration’s full-court effort to pushback on early intelligence findings that suggested the strikes did not fully take out the sites.
“When we look at the entirety of the intelligence that we have to this date, it concludes that these strikes on the Iranians nuclear facilities were absolutely successful. It was a total obliteration, as the president said,” Leavitt told reporters.
She went on to bash the media for coverage of the effectiveness of the strike and for reporting on the preliminary assessment.
“I would just like to reemphasize… this was a low confidence preliminary intelligence assessment, and the entirety of that assessment was not leaked to the media. Only tidbits of that assessment were leaked to CNN,” Leavitt said.
32 minutes ago
LaLota says new offer to SALT Caucus falls short
Mychael Schnell
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said the House SALT Caucus received a new offer — which he’s rejecting.
The offer was valued at $200 billion — far less than the $344 billion value in the House bill, he says.
The administration presented the offer as the Senate’s position, he said. Not a good sign as we near the July 4 deadline… LaLota said.
“The Senate’s current SALT offer falls far short—providing just 58% of the value in the House-passed bill. It’s not a serious proposal, and it disregards the good-faith compromise backed by 99% of House Republicans. I won’t participate in performative negotiations like the one scheduled this afternoon until the Senate shows it’s ready to engage in reality.”
43 minutes ago
White House punts on question about removing parliamentarian
Alex Gangitano
Leavitt told reporters that she hadn’t spoken to the president about if he believes Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough should be removed from her position after her ruling against a GOP proposal to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending to help pay for Trump’s tax agenda.
“He knows this is part of the process and the inner workings of the Senate and he wants to see this bill done,” she added.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) earlier on Thursday had called on Thune to fire MacDonough over the ruling.
an hour ago
GOP senator calls for axing Senate's rules referee, pushes for term limits
Aris Folley
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall (Kansas) called for Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to be fired after she rejected key Medicaid provisions in President Trump’s evolving megabill.
“She’s been here since 2012. She has a lot of power,” Marshall argued. “I don’t think anyone should stay here that long and have power where she doesn’t answer to anybody.”
“So, I think we should have a term limit on how many years the parliamentarian can be there,” he added in comments to reporters on Thursday.
an hour ago
Top Senate Republican expects decision ‘today’ on SNAP proposal
Aris Folley
Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) said Thursday he expects a decision later in the day from the chamber’s in-house rules referee on a key SNAP proposal that Republicans want in President Trump’s megabill.
Senate Republicans are pushing to require states with higher payment error rates to cover some of the cost of SNAP benefits, which are now completely funded by the federal government.
However, Republicans said they have to revise their proposal in the agricultural portion for the evolving package, after the Senate parliamentarian found the text in question did not comply with chamber rules.
“I think we’ve solved the problem, but again, now we won’t know that until they actually give his final clearance,” he told reporters.
“They told us it should be today, but that’s really all we know,” he told The Hill.
an hour ago
White House digs in on July 4th deadline for reconciliation
Brett Samuels
The White House reiterated its expectation that Congress will pass the massive reconciliation package containing key agenda items by next week, despite a major setback on Thursday from the Senate parliamentarian.
“We expect that bill to be on the president’s desk for signature by July 4th,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “I know there was a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian this morning. Look, this is part of the process, this is part of the inner workings of the United States Senate, but the president is adamant about seeing this bill on his desk here at the White House by Independence Day.”
The Senate’s referee rejected a plan to cap states’ use of health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding, a decision that struck a blow to Republicans’ strategy for cutting federal spending in the bill.
The Senate must still pass the bill. If it is changed, it must go back to the House for approval before getting to Trump’s desk.
an hour ago
Trump open to Netanyahu visit, no date set
Brett Samuels
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump is “open” to hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, but no date for a visit has been set.
Leavitt, in a press briefing Thursday, acknowledged Netanyahu has “expressed interest in coming to the White House” in the wake of U.S. strikes against Iran.
an hour ago
White House: Tariff pause deadline 'not critical'
Alex Gangitano
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that the July 8 deadline for the 90-day pause on recriprocal tariffs could shift, while the administration hasn’t announced trade deals with countries beyond the United Kingdom and China.
“The deadline is not critical. The president can quickly provide these countries with a deal if they refuse to make us one by the deadline,” she said.
She also adde that U.S. Trade Representative Greer “has had very good and productive discussions with many of our trading partners.”
an hour ago
Ron Johnson: Parliamentarian threw a 'grenade'
Alexander Bolton
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) calls the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling against health care provider taxes, one of the biggest pay-fors in the bill, “a big old grenade.”
Read more about the ruling here.
an hour ago
Slotkin: NYC "looking for a new generation of leadership"
Julia Manchester
Speaking Thursday to the Center for American Politics on the future of the Democratic Party, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) responded to Zohran Mamdani’s upset win in NYC: “I will admit to not being a huge student NYC politics but what I can take from it, the message that came across loud and clear to me is that people, just like in November are still focused on cost of living, and they’re looking for a new generation of leadership.”
an hour ago
Collins ‘totally’ disagrees with calls to fire the Senate parliamentarian
Aris Folley
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Thursday that she “totally disagrees” with calls that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough should be fired.
“They are doing their jobs, and people should remember that what comes around goes around,” she said.
“When it comes to the parliamentarian, she may rule a way you like one day the way you don’t the next, she has a job to do. She’s very competent.”
Her comments come as Republicans are clashing over the matter following a recent ruling from the rules referee after she rejected a key Medicaid provision in President Trump’s megabill.
2 hours ago
Grassley: Firing parliamentarian would ‘ruin the whole’ tax bill process
Al Weaver
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told reporters he is against calls to fire the Senate parliamentarian after she ruled against key Medicaid provisions in the GOP’s tax bill to create savings.
Grassley, the most senior Senate Republican, argued the move was far from final, as leaders have a “plan B and C and D and F.”
“You go back and try to satisfy them,” Grassley said, adding that firing the parliamentarian would be unwise.
“That would ruin the whole reconciliation process,” he said. “And we have to keep the reconciliation process moving.”
2 hours ago
US to create military zones in Texas, Arizona on Mexico border
Sarah Fortinsky
The Defense Department is establishing two additional military zones along the U.S.-Mexico border, in an effort to further crack down on unlawful migrant crossings, a Defense official confirmed to The Hill.
The Pentagon is creating one designated area along Arizona’s border and one in southern Texas, according to The New York Times, which cited two Defense Department officials.
The former will become part of the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, and the latter will become a part of Joint Base San Antonio, the Times reported.
Read the full story here.
3 hours ago
Democrats urge spiking of Trump watchdog nominee who would ‘traumatize’ workforce
Rebecca Beitsch
Two Democratic committee leaders are urging the Senate to reject the nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead a top whistleblower office, calling him “unfit” for the role and arguing he would help the Trump administration “traumatize the federal workforce and consolidate unchecked power.”
Ingrassia, a former podcast host, was nominated last month to lead the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC). He has come under fire for a series of controversial remarks about Jan. 6, 2021, as well as his praise for other right-wing figures.
Read the full story here.
3 hours ago
Anti-abortion organization celebrates Supreme Court decision
Amalia Huot-Marchand
The Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) celebrated the Supreme Court decision on Thursday to cut off Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in South Carolina.
The 6-3 ruling along ideological lines paves the way for the state to prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving funding through Medicaid. The ruling only applies to South Carolina, where abortion is already outlawed after six weeks of pregnancy, but could be a template for other states.
A group of approximately 15 protesters chanted in front of the Supreme Court on Thursday morning that this was a historic decision and would end abortion extremism. The PAAU aims to end “abortion violence” within the Democratic Party and wants to dismantle what it calls the “Abortion Industrial Complex.”
3 hours ago
Tapper: Trump call to fire CNN reporter ‘preposterous’
Dominick Mastrangelo
CNN anchor Jake Tapper defended his colleague Natasha Bertrand after President Trump called for her firing in response to her reporting on leaked intelligence relating to U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last weekend.
“Today, President Trump and his administration are going after shooting the messengers in an increasingly ugly way,” Tapper said Wednesday on his evening newscast.
“They’re calling journalists ‘fake news’ for true stories. They’re calling for an excellent CNN reporter, Natasha Bertrand, to be fired, which is preposterous,” he added.
Read more here.
3 hours ago
Qatar expects Iran-Israel ceasefire to hold
Miriam Waldvogel
Qatar expects that the Israel-Iran ceasefire announced earlier this week will hold, government spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told NewsNation’s Brian Entin on Thursday.
“Any ceasefire anywhere in the world is fragile. But we have great confidence in President Trump’s push for this to happen. We have seen on the ground what the resolve of President Trump did,” al-Ansari said.
“And we do believe through his leadership and the work Qatar has been doing to mediate through both parties we will maintain this ceasefire and push to make it more sustainable,” he added.
Read the full story here.
3 hours ago
GOP senator calls for Senate parliamentarian to be fired after ruling against Medicaid cuts
Alexander Bolton
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) on Thursday called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to fire Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough “ASAP,” hours after she delivered a major ruling against a Republican proposal to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending to help pay for President Trump’s tax agenda.
The parliamentarian also ruled against provisions to prohibit federal funding of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for adults or kids whose immigration status cannot be immediately verified and to lower federal Medicaid funding for states that provide Medicaid coverage to immigrants in the country illegally.
“The WOKE Senate Parliamentarian, who was appointed by Harry Reid and advised Al Gore, just STRUCK DOWN a provision BANNING illegals from stealing Medicaid from American citizens. This is a perfect example of why Americans hate THE SWAMP,” Tuberville posted on X, the social media site.
“Unelected bureaucrats think they know better than U.S. Congressmen who are elected BY THE PEOPLE. Her job is not to push a woke agenda. THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP,” he said.
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