Johnson takes a victory lap amid Senate pushback on big, beautiful bill
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the media after the House narrowly passed a bill on May 22. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took to the Sunday political talk shows to champion President Trump's recently passed "big, beautiful bill."
- But some senators are airing their grievances with the sweeping legislation.
The big picture: Republican infighting threatened to tank the GOP-only legislation in the House before it narrowly passed Thursday, and some senators have made it clear they don't back the bill in its current form.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) can only afford to lose three GOP votes.
- Republicans in the Senate have pointed to several areas of contention. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed concern Sunday about the way the package is estimated to inflate the deficit. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and others are worried about Medicaid reforms.
Driving the news: Asked about criticism for the legislation on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Johnson characterized the bill as "jet fuel to the U.S. economy."
- But while he sees the legislation as economic fuel, some Republicans characterize it as deficit dynamite.
- "I think the cuts currently in the bill are wimpy and anemic, but I still would support the bill even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren't going to explode the debt," Paul contended on "Fox News Sunday."
One of Paul's other complaints is over the $4 trillion increase to the U.S. debt ceiling included in the bill, which Johnson defended as "a critically important thing to do" while appearing on "Fox News Sunday."
- Johnson added, "it does not mean that we're going to spend more money."
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Johnson earlier this month to raise the debt ceiling by mid-July, cautioning the government's extraordinary measures could run out while Congress is on its August vacation.
Friction point: But Paul suggested his vote was contingent on the debt ceiling provision.
- "If they strip out the debt ceiling, I'll consider, even with the imperfections, voting for the rest of the bill, but I can't vote to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion," he said.
Zoom out: Johnson on Sunday also defended changes to Medicaid in the legislation, arguing to CBS News' Margaret Brennan that the reforms target the familiar refrain of "fraud, waste and abuse" and root out undocumented immigrants, who are not eligible for Medicaid, receiving benefits.
- "It's [Medicaid] intended for vulnerable populations, for young, single, pregnant women and the elderly and the disabled and people who need those resources," Johnson said.
- He claimed that there are able-bodied people "taking advantage of the system" by not working.
By the numbers: According to a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis, 64% of adults with Medicaid in 2023 worked full time or part time. Another 32% were taking care of home or family, were ill or disabled, attended school, or were retired.
- A preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office found that the changes to the insurance program, which also face Senate opposition, could cause an estimated 10.3 million people to lose Medicaid coverage by 2034.
- Hawley wrote in a New York Times op-ed earlier this month that building the package around cuts to Medicaid is "morally wrong and politically suicidal." Hawley has specifically criticized new cost-sharing provisions in the bill, which he has characterized as a "hidden tax" on the working poor.
- In response to Hawley's criticism, Johnson said, "We don't want to slash benefits" and added, "We are not cutting Medicaid; We are not cutting SNAP. We're working in the elements of fraud, waste and abuse."
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