Photo: Moment RF
Senate Majority Leader John Thune recently said that he thinks Trump's major legislative package, often referred to as the "big beautiful bill," will pass by July Fourth. This bill is a top priority for the entire Trump administration and the GOP. Most of Trump's tax agenda is set to be included in the bill.
So, will Congress, with its slim majorities in both the House and Senate, be able to pass the bill by July 4th? According to Chris Johnson with the College Republicans, "On the Senate side, I think it's much more likely that they meet that deadline. There's a lot more agreement within the Senate Republican caucus on what needs to be in the budget."
He went on to say that the real difficulty will be pushing the bill through the House, where the GOP majority is often as unruly as it is slim. He said, "They have no real incentive not to just keep arguing with each other, kicking the can as far down the line as possible. Especially on some of these issues where people are viewing it as a hill worth dying on."
Johnson pointed to specific members like Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chip Roy (R-TX), who have developed reputations for opposing large spending bills. He also noted that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has been known to buck House leadership at times.
Johnson continued, saying, "It doesn't seem like the House is being realistic about its own bill or the timeline for putting it together. Additionally, they aren't considering what will happen to that bill once it has to be reconciled with the Senate version."
The good news is, Johnson says that none of these concerns are entirely new. He thinks the GOP still has time to negotiate these issues and come up with a bill that will pass.