Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Wednesday described the House-passed GOP policy package as a “work in progress” but projected confidence that President Trump’s legislative agenda would make it through the Senate in some form.
In an interview on right-leaning Newsmax’s “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Kennedy addressed criticism from tech billionaire Elon Musk, who the show’s host said has “become such a hero and has done such a great job in trying to expose government waste but is now “really calling it a disgusting abomination.”
“I think it’s left a lot of MAGA voters, a lot of Trump voters, a lot of conservatives in a place of– they’re a bit confused on this thing,” Schmitt said, before noting that the White House has defended the bill as a responsible way of cutting waste.
“Well, this is a work in progress,” Kennedy said in the interview. “If you’re confused, you understand the situation perfectly. The House bill did the best it could do. The bill is now before us in the Senate. We’re going to try to improve it — and improve it substantially.
The Louisiana Republican noted there are many complexities to getting the bill across the finish line. He said he agrees with Musk that “we’re not reducing enough spending,” but stressed the importance of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which is one component of the larger policy bill.
“We’re working hard, I’ll put it that way,” the senator added. “And as long as everybody takes their meds, we’ll get it done.”
The interview comes the president’s agenda is seemingly beginning to lose momentum in the upper chamber of Congress in the face of sharp attacks from Musk and other outspoken conservatives.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) warned colleagues at a special conference meeting Wednesday afternoon that there are two likely “no” votes on the bill within the Senate GOP conference, which means just one more defection would derail the legislation.
That comes as the Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday projected that the 1,116-page House passed bill would add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.