Bill sets up Senate battle over Medicaid: House GOP leaders made changes to the Medicaid provisions in the legislation in order to win over conservative votes. The bill moves up the start date for mandatory work requirements from Jan. 1, 2029, to Dec. 31, 2026. According to congressional scorekeepers, the original language would have saved almost $280 billion.
Climate change takes a step back: The already-strict constraints on subsidies for climate friendly energy projects became even more stringent in the last-minute updates to the bill. The low-carbon tax credits were the climate crown jewel of the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act — providing massive emissions reductions as they were slated to spur a significant build out of wind, solar and other energy sources.
Thune facing big challenges ahead: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is staring down similar challenges to what Johnson faced in recent weeks as his members expect to rewrite significant portions of the bill, giving him little margin for error to get the bill over the line by leadership’s self-imposed July 4 deadline goal.
Deficits expected to climb: The cost of extending Trump’s expiring 2017 tax cuts — a cornerstone of the legislative package — along with measures to nix taxes on tips and overtime pay, are estimated to add trillions of dollars to the nation’s deficits over the next decade. Republicans have sought to discredit estimates from the Congressional Budget Office about the bill’s costs. But that doesn’t mean others aren’t worried it doesn’t go far enough to reduce the nation’s deficit.
The Hill has more here.
