House Republican leadership is putting their foot to the pedal to try to pass President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" by their self-imposed Memorial Day deadline. But with the massive hurdles keeping them from the finish line, they brought in Trump himself.
Trump made a trip to Capitol Hill this morning to rally House Republicans to pass his agenda. His message to reporters was how unified his party is — except for those who haven't fallen in line. His message to those GOP members standing in his way was … well, a bit unnerving.
He targeted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who opposes the reconciliation package, in particular. "I don't think Thomas Massie understands government. I think he's a grandstander, frankly," Trump told reporters. "I think he should be voted out of office."
Remember: It's much easier to buck Johnson's leadership team than it is to buck the powerful second-term president, who has threatened to support ousting them from office through well-funded primary challenges.
Trump weighed in on a few sticking points:
➤ 🚨 Trump said to lay off Medicaid: A source told The Hill that Trump urged Republicans to "leave Medicaid alone" and instead just focus on "waste, fraud, abuse only in Medicaid." Per The Hill's Mychael Schnell, he used the f-word twice, telling Republicans, "Don't f--- with Medicaid."
➤ Trump told SALT proponents to back off: Trump urged Republicans who are pushing for an increase in state and local tax (SALT) deductions to back down and take what's being offered. (Reminder: Republican members in blue states want to raise the SALT deductions, arguing it was aimed to target wealthy taxpayers but is also hurting middle-class taxpayers in high-tax states.)
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Who will decide the fate of Trump's bill?: The Washington Post explains that there are five ideological factions that Johnson must perfectly balance to pass the bill. For example, the House Freedom Caucus and the Problem Solvers Caucus. This is a helpful graphic.
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