CNBC: In another blow to the bill’s prospects, the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, has ordered the removal of some key elements in the bill.
MacDonough said some provisions violated a rule that allows budget provisions to pass with a simple majority, instead of the traditional 60-vote threshold. Given Republicans’ 53-member majority in the Senate, they are relying on the budget rule process, known as reconciliation, to get the bill passed.
Now, Senate Republicans are scrambling to rewrite the bill to comply with MacDonough’s rulings, ensure that it can pass the House and also win over their own GOP skeptics.
For instance, on one particular sticking point, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., has held talks with House Republicans on the SALT cap, Politico reports, which was set at $40,000 in the House bill.
Even as Republicans are feeling the time crunch, GOP leaders are projecting confidence that they will pass the bill before the July 4 holiday.
“The July 4 deadline is an important one. The president is insistent about it,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday on Fox News Channel.
“I have been from the very beginning, and I think we can get this job done. I remain very optimistic that we will,” he added.
