Trump, Republicans Rush to Overcome Infighting on Tax Bill

Terry Haines, founder at Pangaea Policy, breaks down the latest moves from the Senate as they work to overcome infighting on the tax bill.

Republican party leaders are rushing to overcome lingering internal fights over President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package as Democrats launch attacks to exploit the divisions.

Senate Republicans were still at odds Monday over how much to cut Medicaid and other social safety-net programs and how rapidly to end Biden-era clean energy tax breaks as Democrats gained the chance Monday to force votes on amendments to the package.

Democrats, locked out of power in Washington, are aiming to offer amendments during a marathon voting session to exploit the infighting and make the GOP goal of getting holdouts to back the bill as soon as tonight more difficult.

The minority party believes the $3.3 trillion package, which cuts social safety net programs to partly pay for tax cuts that skew toward the wealthy, will provoke a political backlash against Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. They will use the amendment votes to highlight the legislation’s most politically problematic provisions and put Republican senators on the record through their votes.

Under Senate rules, Democrats can offer unlimited amendments that can pass with just 51 votes. They say they will aim to strip out Republican cuts to Medicaid health insurance for the poor and disabled, food stamps and college student loans.

Some Republicans are also planning to offer amendments in a long-shot bids to bake some of their priorities into the bill.

Susan Collins of Maine is planning to offer an amendment that would double the rural hospital fund to $50 billion, in exchange for a tax increase on some of the highest-earning Americans. Many rural lawmakers are concerned Medicaid cuts in the legislation would force hospitals in sparsely populated areas to close even with the new dedicated aid fund.

Her amendment would increase the top tax rate on individuals earning $25 million to 39.6%. The amendment will likely fail, but could factor into last-minute negotiations if Collins still hasn’t been persuaded to support the legislation.

Offensive Posture

The Democrats are trying to either put swing-state moderates on record supporting cuts to social-safety net programs or persuade them to take them out — something that would rile the Republican fiscal conservatives. An amendment to stop cuts to rural hospitals, a particularly sensitive topic to some GOP members, is high on their list.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday was already relishing the retirement announcement of North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a casualty of the GOP infighting over the bill’s Medicaid cuts.

“It just shows you that the Republican majority is at risk because their Big Ugly Bill is so unpopular,” he told reporters.

Tillis warned Republicans were at risk of a backlash by failing to keep Trump’s health care promises. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 11.8 million people could lose health coverage over the next decade as a result of the bill.

“What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore?” Tillis said on the Senate floor, referring to Medicaid recipients in his state of North Carolina who could lose coverage.

Tillis on Sunday announced he wouldn’t be running for reelection, a decision that gives him more latitude to break with Trump, who had threatened to back a primary challenge to Tillis. The 64-year-old senator has said that he’ll oppose the bill and railed on it in a floor speech for Medicaid cuts.

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