Monday, June 30 | By Jonathan Easley |
© AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite |
Senate faces moment of truth for Trump agenda bill
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THE SENATE is pressing toward a decision on President Trump's agenda bill, which faces an uncertain fate only hours before the expected final vote. Senators started the "vote-a-rama" on amendments to the bill Monday morning, which could continue into the night. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) huddled with Trump at the White House early Monday to strategize. Thune declined to say whether he believes the bill has the votes to pass. "We're working this," he said. "We'll know soon enough, right?" Senate Republicans can only afford three defections to reach a 50-50 split, a tie that could then be broken by Vice President Vance. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) appear to be hard no votes, with Tillis raging against the Medicaid cuts and Paul opposed to raising the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Tillis and Paul were the only Republicans to vote against advancing the "big, beautiful bill" over the weekend, when it cleared the chamber 51-49 after Thune and Vance brokered a dramatic last-minute deal with GOP conservatives. Tillis announced over the weekend he would not seek reelection in 2026 after Trump promised to put up a primary challenger against him due to his opposition to the legislation. Centrist Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) are big question marks ahead of the vote. GOP Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo.) and Rick Scott (Fla.) are waiting to see whether their amendment passes to reduce reimbursements to states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Thune supports the amendment, although there are concerns it might result in defections elsewhere. Collins on Monday offered her own amendment to raise taxes on the ultra-rich. Murkowski offered an amendment seeking to undo hurdles for solar and wind energy that were added to the bill over the weekend. Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats are engaged in all kinds of arcane maneuvering after a dramatic weekend, punctuated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) move to force the entire 940-page bill to be read aloud on the Senate floor, which took about 16 hours. The Senate voted along party lines Monday to allow the vote on making the expiring 2017 tax cuts permanent to pass with a simple-majority vote, saying it complies with the Byrd Rule. If that vote had failed, the tax cuts would have been subject to the Democratic filibuster and would have needed 60 votes to pass. And the Senate's presiding Republican chair ruled that Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has the sole authority to decide if provisions of the megabill violate the 1974 Congressional Budget Act or other budget laws. Democrats tried to overturn the ruling but failed, with Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, arguing that it "breaks a 51-year tradition of the Senate for honest numbers." Republicans have been busy rewriting other portions of the bill that the Senate Parliamentarian ruled were in violation of the Byrd rule. "The White House and the president himself have been in touch with lawmakers all weekend long to get this bill passed and they're working really hard to do so," White House press secretary Kariline Leavitt said. "This bill is the top priority for the president." |
TILLIS, BACON ANNOUNCE RETIREMENTS |
The GOP lost two centrist incumbents over the weekend, as lawmakers who are out of favor with Trump opt to retire rather than seek reelection. Tillis gave a fiery speech against the Medicaid cuts in the Trump agenda bill on the Senate floor before announcing he would not seek reelection. "I am telling the president that you have been misinformed," Tillis said. "Now, Republicans are about to make a mistake on health care and betraying a promise," he said. Tillis faced a tough reelection fight in swing-state North Carolina. That election just got tougher for the GOP, with the Cook Political Report moving the race from "leans Republican" to "toss-up." "His announcement is a big setback for the Senate and the Republican Conference," Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) posted on X. Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC), is considering running for the seat. Also on Monday, Republicans learned that Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a swing-district centrist and occasional critic of Trump, will not be running for reelection. Bacon won the "blue dot" district in Nebraska, which former Vice President Kamala Harris carried in the 2024 presidential election. That district now represents a prime pick-up opportunity for Democrats. |
The White House on Monday continued its maximum pressure campaign on Republicans to back the bill. "I think everyone in the House, they know the peril they're in if they vote no on this thing," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on CBS News's "Face the Nation." "I think, first of all, it's good for the nation. Secondly, they know that their jobs are at risk," McCaul said. "Not just from the president, but from the voting — the American people," he added. "Our base back home will not reelect us to office if we vote no on this." Elon Musk stepped up his criticism of the bill for its spending and debt, calling it "political suicide for the Republican Party." Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said the bill will be a "political albatross" for Republicans in the midterm elections. The Hill's Mychael Schnell writes that even if the bill passes the Senate on Monday, it could face a treacherous path back through the House, where many members are upset about the changes the Senate made: "The Senate's version of the 'big, beautiful bill' is facing serious headwinds in the House with The Hill learning that at least six House Republicans are currently a 'no' on the framework, a daunting sign for GOP leadership as the Senate races towards a vote. Those six House Republicans, some of whom requested anonymity, are enough opposition to tank the package, as GOP leaders grapple with a razor-thin majority." GOP leaders say they expect to bring the bill to the floor for a vote Wednesday, ahead of Trump's July 4 deadline. "We need the full weight of the Republican conference to get behind this bill and we expect them to, and we are confident that they will," Leavitt said. |
💡Perspectives: • Fox News: Trump agenda bil. could cement economic legacy for decade. • MSNBC: The real reason Republicans are rushing to pass Trump's bill. • RealClearPolitics: GOP's most vulnerable Senate seat just got more vulnerable. • MSNBC: SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling startlingly myopic view. • Wall Street Journal: When liberals hated nationwide injunctions. |
The Trump administration is suing the city of Los Angeles, seeking to topple its so-called sanctuary city policy, saying it's blocking immigration enforcement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said the state's new migrant detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" is operational ahead of President Trump's visit to the state Tuesday.
An 82-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in an attack against pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder earlier this month has died, according to new court documents filed Monday.
President Trump says he found a buyer for TikTok. The suspected gunman who ambushed firefighters responding to a blaze in Idaho is dead. Here's what we know about the suspect.
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© AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein |
Canada buckles after Trump trade threat
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Canada will scrap a digital services tax on U.S. technology companies after President Trump suspended trade talks. Canada had planned to begin collecting taxes Monday on U.S. tech companies, but backed away at the last minute "in anticipation of a mutually beneficial comprehensive trade agreement with the United States," according to Canada's Department of Finance. "It's very simple, Prime Minister Carney and Canada caved to President Trump and the United States of America," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday. "It's a big victory for our tech companies and our American workers here at home," she added. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to resume negotiations after Canada dashed the digital services tax, with the aim of reaching a deal by July 21. Trump told Fox News's Maria Bartiromo over the weekend that he has no plans to extend the 90-day pause on tariffs, which is scheduled to expire on July 9. The president said letters to U.S. trade partners setting new tariff rates will be going out "soon." MEANWHILE… The British government said the trade deal reached with the U.S. lowering tariffs on some car and plane parts went into effect Monday. ELSEWHERE… Speculation is growing about who will replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has less than a year left in his term. The Hill's Sylvan Lane details five potential replacements, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has emerged as a key figure in the Trump administration. "I will do what the president wants," Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Trump is eager for Powell's tenure to be over, as the central bank chief continues to defy Trump's demands for a rate cut. On Monday, Trump shared a handwritten note to Powell detailing the countries paying lower rates than the U.S. "Jerome 'Too Late' Powell, and his entire Board, should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to the United States," Trump posted on Truth Social. "They have one of the easiest, yet most prestigious, jobs in America, and they have FAILED — And continue to do so. If they were doing their job properly, our Country would be saving Trillions of Dollars in Interest Cost. The Board just sits there and watches, so they are equally to blame. We should be paying 1% Interest, or better!" |
💡Perspectives: • The Hill: Does your business have a Plan B for the Trump tariffs? • The Hill: CNN has no one to blame but itself. • L.A. Times: RFK Jr. is dismantling trust in vaccines. • American Spectator: America needs MAHA. • The Hill: Mamdani's victory brings concerns, and lessons, for Democrats. |
Read more: • Trump says there will be 'temporary pass' for migrant farm, hotel workers. |
© Ben Birchall, PA Images via Getty Images |
Band's US visa revoked after 'death to IDF' chant
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The U.S. revoked visas for the English rap duo Bob Vylan on Monday after the group led a chant calling for death to the Israeli military. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X that the group, which was planning to tour the U.S. in November, would not be allowed in the country. "The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants," Landau said. "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country." It's the latest instance of the Trump administration cracking down on far-left activism and anti-Semitism on campuses and elsewhere. Bob Vylan drew widespread condemnation over the weekend for leading chants of "death to IDF" at the Glastonbury music festival in England. The BBC says it regrets that it didn't cut the livestream of the show while the chant was going on. The Irish group Kneecap, which was charged with a terror offense last year for flying a Hezbollah flag at a concert, also performed at Glastonbury. MEANWHILE… The Trump administration says says Harvard University is in "violent violation" of the Civil Rights Act by failing to protect Jewish students. The federal Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism sent a letter to Harvard on Monday detailing its conclusions from a Title VI investigation that found the school failed to combat antisemitism on campus. "Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard's relationship with the federal government," the letter stated. "Harvard may of course continue to operate free of federal privileges, and perhaps such an opportunity will spur a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive once again." A spokesperson for the university said in a statement that "Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism in its community." ELSEWHERE… A top Iranian official told the BBC that the nation will only negotiate over its nuclear program if the U.S. rules out any further strikes. Intelligence officials are still gathering information on the U.S. strikes against three Iranian nuclear sites following the massive bombing campaign on June 21. President Trump denied a report that the U.S. is weighing a $30 billion deal with Iran that would allow for the development of civilian nuclear facilities, first reported by CNN. Trump lashed out at Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who cited the report on Fox News's "Fox News Sunday" over the weekend. "Tell phony Democrat Senator Chris Coons that I am not offering Iran ANYTHING, unlike Obama, who paid them $Billions under the stupid 'road to a Nuclear Weapon JCPOA (which would now be expired!), nor am I even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities," Trump posted on Truth Social. |
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