The Senate version of the party-line megabill, which might pass tonight, contains severe changes to Medicaid, and dozens of House Republicans are frantically working behind the scenes to prevent this.
Six House Republicans, who requested anonymity in order to discuss the talks, said that Republican legislators are worried about the Senate Medicaid measures and are exchanging panicked phone calls and group texts. Some conservatives are unwilling to vote on the Senate’s Medicaid legislation, even though their states will be among the most hurt by the cuts to state-directed payments and levies on medical providers.
Not to mention Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) attempt to reduce federal funding for the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which is a well-known sticking point for several House members.
Two more anonymous sources have confirmed that at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson would have a conference call with a number of House Republicans to deliberate upon unannounced matters. On Monday, top officials from both the Senate and the House got together to talk about the unresolved issues.
If the Senate does not reach a final resolution on the wording and include it in a final amendment before sending the measure to the House, senior House Republicans are warning that they may still have to work out disagreements between the two chambers. That would put the signing of the megabill by President Trump’s hand on the arbitrary date of July 4.
The Senate’s willingness to compromise on Medicaid and other policy matters in a final amendment remains uncertain. The Senate is now preoccupied with its own internal politics, which includes the fact that some Republican senators are hell-bent on increasing the amount of the tax reduction package, which has led to the necessity of further severe cuts to Medicaid.
Regarding the possibility of a final “wraparound” that might address the concerns of House Republicans, Thune has been ambivalent in closed-door talks with GOP senators. Lawmakers in the Senate are taking a chance that the House will pass whatever legislation they offer them.
An anonymous Republican senator stated, “Right now, there isn’t a need for it.” as the source clarified.
