As extra amendments are known as for votes, Republicans proceed to huddle behind the scenes to chart a path to ending the marathon vote-a-rama and passing President Donald Trump’s megabill.
It seems more and more clear there’s concern among the many Senate GOP management that they do not but have the votes locked all the way down to move the invoice. Republicans can solely lose three votes when this invoice comes up for a last vote.
Majority Chief John Thune Sen. Lisa Murkowski stroll to the Senate ground on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
There’s been a really aggressive effort by GOP management to work on Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has to date not mentioned how she intends to vote on this package deal.
Within the final hour, Murkowski has been seen on the ground deep in dialog at numerous factors with Majority Chief John Thune, Republican whip John Barrasso, Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo and fellow Alaskan Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Murkowski has been a maintain out, expressing concern over Medicaid and SNAP provisions.
Thune, strolling off the ground, mentioned he and Murkowski had been “simply chatting”. However he isn’t but denoted a transparent path out of this whip rely predicament.
Thune was requested, as he walked off the ground, if he might pull the invoice again or if he’d be compelled to carry a last passage vote on the invoice, even when he is aware of it’ll fail.
“These are choices I do not need to have to fret about,” Thune mentioned.
At current, the whip rely is an actual downside for Thune. Sens. Thom Tillis and Rand Paul are anticipated to forged votes in opposition to the invoice. Shedding Murkowski or Sen. Susan Collins might be an actual downside.
There’s additionally not but a transparent path ahead on how an modification that goals to additional cut back Medicaid spending can be handled. The end result of that modification vote might sway voters like Sens. Mike Lee and Rick Scott.
In the beginning of this vote, Senators overwhelmingly voted in favor of stripping out provisions within the invoice that may restrict states from passing guidelines to manage synthetic intelligence.
The transfer got here after Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Ted Cruz struck a deal on tips on how to maintain the moratorium within the invoice, earlier than Blackburn reneged early Tuesday morning.
Earlier than this tranche of votes that Thune teed up, Sen. Joni Ernst’s modification that bars millionaires from amassing unemployment earnings help handed by voice vote.
-ABC Information’ Allison Pecorin
