Kennedy last week. Photo: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Sen. John Kennedy plans to introduce an amendment to the reconciliation bill that would require congressional approval of a $1 billion pot of Defense Production Act money that the Senate banking panel added to the bill.
Why it matters: The $1 billion fund would enable the president to direct money toward energy companies, LNG, coal plants, and critical minerals mining, Kennedy said.
- "I'm very uncomfortable with government picking winners and losers, because when the government picks winners and losers in the private sector, government consistently picks losers," Kennedy said.
Zoom in: The energy funding and IRA tax credits remain among the biggest disagreements in the GOP's reconciliation bill as it races to tweak provisions to win House support.
- The Senate parliamentarian's moves in recent days to strike provisions raise pressure on Republicans to find cuts elsewhere.
What's next: Majority Leader John Thune expects to start voting Friday on the reconciliation bill, he told Axios Hill Leaders in an exclusive interview.
- Kennedy told reporters Monday night that lawmakers were working through three sticking points: IRA tax credits, SALT, and Medicare provisions.
- The bill was "being held together by happy thoughts and spit," he said.
