Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for Senate Republicans to quickly pass President Donald Trump‘s “one big, beautiful bill,” arguing it will unleash an “economic boom of historic proportions.”
Gingrich made the appeal in a Fox News appearance on Friday night, warning Senate Republicans that voting against the bill, which passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, would make it “very difficult” for Trump to achieve his policy goals and would “go against the wishes” of Republican voters who elected them.
“I would simply say to all the senators, when you’re done amending and you’re done arguing, you have to vote yes, because to vote no is voting for a giant tax increase. It’s voting to cripple the government. It’s voting to make it very difficult for President Trump to create the kind of America that he was voted to create. And frankly, it goes against the wishes of virtually every Republican who put the senators in office,” the former House speaker said.
Gingrich, while acknowledging that the bill is “not perfect,” still urged Republicans to “keep moving” to get the bill on Trump’s desk by July 4.
“It’s not perfect. Look, we balanced the budget for four straight years for the only time in the last century, but we didn’t do it overnight. We didn’t do it the first or second year. You have to chip away at these things, get the best you can, plan to come back again next year or come back this fall on the appropriations bills. But keep moving. The Senate, I think, has to pass this bill early enough to go to conference. … And then they’ve got to come out of conference and I hope they’ll schedule getting it out by the Fourth of July,” he added.
Gingrich also underscored that the United States is “right at the edge of a Trump economic boom of historic proportions,” pointing to the president’s recent trip to the Middle East that saw billion-dollar deals struck with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But the former House speaker added that passing the “big, beautiful bill” is a “major key” to this potential economic prosperity.
The massive spending and tax cut bill narrowly passed the House on Thursday morning, 215-214. It is now headed to the Senate for consideration, with amendments likely.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), for example, has already indicated he wants more spending reductions in the bill, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has expressed concern over a potential debt ceiling hike. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) are also potential holdouts on the bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) can only afford to lose three Republican votes to still be able to pass the bill along the party line, which would then require a tiebreaking vote from Vice President JD Vance.