Thursday, May 22 | By Cate Martel | |
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It's Thursday. It's almost Memorial Day weekend — which I have always argued is the Thursday night of the year. 🍦🎆🌭 | - 🚨 House passes Trump agenda by a hair (!)
- Turbulent Senate battle expected
- Supreme Court rejects religious charter school request
- Reality show to compete for U.S. citizenship floated
- Two staffers killed outside Israeli Embassy
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PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Hill's 12:30 Report is taking a long weekend. We will not publish Friday or Monday. See you Tuesday, friends! |
And on the 122nd day, Mike Johnson rests: |
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) did it. House Republicans passed President Trump's domestic policy megabill early this morning after weeks of turbulent infighting. He repeatedly squashed small fires from various factions of the GOP, finding a delicate balance to get enough Republicans to say "yes." In the end, just two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Warren Davidson (Ohio) — snubbed leadership, joining Democrats in voting "no." The final vote was 215-214 (!) 😅 ^ Wait, the math isn't mathing: Only two Republicans voted "no," but the final vote was 215-214…? That's because two Republicans — Reps. Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.) and David Schweikert (Ariz.) — missed the vote, despite being part of the negotiations. |
- Johnson told reporters Garbarino "fell asleep in the back, no kidding." "I'm going to just strangle him," Johnson said with a laugh, "but he's my dear friend." 😂
- Schweikert apparently arrived after the vote had closed.
- Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) voted "present."
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Trump's message: "THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL" has PASSED the House of Representatives!" 🔎 Read his full post — it's pretty long. OK, so what was ultimately in the bill?: |
- Work requirements for Medicaid — millions of low-income people are expected to lose health insurance if this becomes law.
- Adjust eligibility requirements for food stamps
- Extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts
- Raise the limit for state and local tax (SALT) deductions
- No taxes on tips or overtime
- Boost funding for the border and deportation
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📝 List of the last-minute changes to the bill Fun fact: Five pages worth of last night's bill changes were swapping the word "MAGA" to "Trump." Yes, really. 📸 See for yourself And now, Johnson passes the baton to Thune: Trump's "big, beautiful bill" now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to face a particularly bitter battle. Medicaid cuts aren't as popular among Senate Republicans, so expect those to be watered down. But whatever changes the Senate makes, the House will then need to agree to. Can Senate Democrats block it?: Nope — that's exactly why they're using this special loophole called reconciliation. It will only need a simple majority to pass this bill. 🗨️ Follow today's live blog |
➤ A LOT OF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT MEDICARE: |
Because I got a lot of emails from readers yesterday asking whether there would be Medicare cuts triggered by Trump's "big, beautiful" megabill, let me explain. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office assessed the bill (as it always does). It found that Republicans' bill would increase the debt by $2.3 trillion over 10 years. That would trigger automatic cuts to Medicare — as much as $500 billion in cuts — starting as soon as 2026. But this isn't necessarily a given. Congress can ignore the rules that would automatically trigger cuts — or it could pass a later bill to stop Medicare cuts. Medicare cuts are VERY unpopular politically and would be unlikely. Trump campaigned on not cutting Medicare and said he would not touch the program. Here's a helpful explainer from The Hill. And so is this Washington Post report. |
➤ SPOTTED ON CAPITOL HILL: |
➤ TIDBIT — THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE ALMOST LOOKS LIKE AI: |
Trump met with a 7-foot-9-inch basketball player from the University of Florida. 📹 Watch |
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JOIN OUR EVENT: Invest In America Thursday, June 5 at 8 a.m. EDT — Washington, D.C. |
Join The Hill for a half-day summit featuring titans from Washington and Wall Street, focused on solutions-oriented conversations that will deliver insights into the future of the domestic and global economy, covering everything from tariffs, investing, AI, crypto, taxes and more. Key speakers include: - Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)
- Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio)
- Christine Todd Whitman, Former Administrator of the EPA
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The religious charter school opinion is out: |
Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed last night outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The suspect: The suspect has been identified as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. He yelled "free, free Palestine" after he was arrested. What we know The victims: Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot after leaving the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats Reception. In response: Law enforcement agencies in New York and Miami are ramping up security. |
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Vance are in Washington. (All times EST) |
12:30 p.m.: Trump and Vance have lunch together.
1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
2 p.m.: State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce holds a press briefing. 💻 Livestream
3:45 p.m.: Trump participates in a "MAHA Commission Event." 💻 Livestream
7 p.m.: Trump attends a private dinner at Trump National Golf Club. |
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