Reconciliation Inches Closer

Welcome to what technically was supposed to be a congressional recess week in advance of the Fourth of July. The Fourth also has been Republicans’ internal deadline for having a reconciliation package on the president’s desk, so plenty of work is happening this week.

Over the weekend, Senate Republicans released an updated version of the reconciliation bill to massage policies to garner votes and address items that the parliamentarian noted would require a 60-vote threshold. The Senate wrapped up speeches debating this version of the reconciliation bill in the wee hours on Sunday, took a break, and began a vote-a-rama today, June 30. Senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments, so the process will likely last all day and continue into early Tuesday morning.

Republican leadership is also working on a “wraparound amendment” that will be introduced after today’s vote-a-rama. The wraparound amendment can include or remove any amendments that were accepted during the vote-a-rama and will incorporate changes throughout the bill to get enough agreement to support full passage. Senate Republican leadership is trying to coordinate behind the scenes with House Republican leaders so that what they hope passes the Senate will then be able to quickly pass the House and get to President Trump by the July Fourth holiday.

Senate Republicans only have a three-vote margin. Sens. Paul (R-KY) and Tillis (R-NC) continue to sound like no votes, particularly Sen. Tillis after his announcement on Sunday that he won’t run for reelection in 2026. We now look for other agreements being made to shore up votes from Sens. Murkowski (R-AK) and Collins (R-ME), and any other previous holdouts, i.e., Sen. Hawley (R-MO), although Republican leaders also need to keep their more conservative members such as Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Mike Lee (R-UT) on board.

Senators are trying to come to an agreement and pass a final bill by Tuesday. House members would then return to the Hill on Wednesday to consider the legislation. House Republican leadership will be working to secure enough votes to pass the bill as it was passed in the Senate. If it is apparent that they have too many members in opposition to do so immediately this week, debate will likely extend further into July, because the July Fourth deadline is an artificial one.

Today’s Podcast

In this week’s Healthcare Preview, Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock join Maddie News to discuss reconciliation updates from the weekend and what could be in store this week.