The Senate parliamentarian dealt a major blow to Republicans' "big, beautiful bill" this morning, disqualifying major Medicaid provisions from the megabill.
Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who serves as the nonpartisan referee for the Senate's bills, has been sifting through the GOP legislation to determine which provisions are compliant with the budget rules Republicans are using to bypass the 60-vote threshold.
OK, so what did she cut?: MacDonough rejected the proposal to limit states' use of health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding.
Why this is a big deal: This was a big moneymaker for the bill — it would have generated hundreds of billions of dollars in savings — and Republicans were counting on this revenue to offset other costs. Without this provision, it throws a huge wrench into how to pay for President Trump's tax cuts.
*Cue Billy Mays* — but wait, there's more: The parliamentarian rejected several other provisions to restrict Medicaid and Medicare coverage for immigrants who are not U.S. citizens. Details of the nixed provisions
Soo, uh, what happens now?: That's what we're all waiting to see. Republicans' self-imposed deadline is just eight days away. This decision could force Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to reconsider bringing the bill up for a vote this week.
How are Republicans taking the news, you ask?: Well, this adds a major wrinkle to their plans — especially with the deadline in about a week.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) called for the Senate Parliamentarian "TO BE FIRED ASAP." 🔎 More on his critique
Could Thune just ignore this ruling?: Thune reaffirmed Thursday he *will not* overrule the Senate referee's determination.
But let's not forget that not all Senate Republicans are on board with these Medicaid cuts: Two GOP senators are a hard "no" on the bill — and a few are undecided because of the Medicaid cuts.
As I like to remind everyone: MacDonough is *not* determining what can become law. Her role as the nonpartisan referee is to decide what can be passed through reconciliation — the special procure that avoids a Democratic filibuster.
The Senate can still pass this language if they want, but they would need to do it with 60 "yes" votes. Republicans don't have enough votes to do that on their own and Democrats don't plan to help them.
📝 Running list of what the parliamentarian has rejected
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