House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) urged Senate Republicans against changing the state and local tax deductions in President Donald Trump‘s reconciliation bill, citing the need to get Republican lawmakers in “swing districts” reelected.
The Senate’s version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reverts the SALT cap to $10,000, a stark contrast from the barely passed House version of the bill, which raised the cap to $40,000. With many House Republicans, including Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Nick LaLota (R-NY), refusing to negotiate without the raised cap, Johnson told Senate leaders, such as Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), “not to modify” the SALT cap.
“It’s a big part of the bill, and it’s what’s necessary to cobble together the 217 votes that I must have to get the final product done and to the president’s desk,” Johnson explained on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “So they’re playing with fire over there. I’ve tried to explain to them this is not a game, and we reached that negotiation, that very delicate equilibrium, after about a year of negotiation. So for the senators to go in and meddle with it — look, they don’t like it, and I don’t either, but this is a reality. We’ve got to get our Republicans in the swing districts in California, New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere reelected, and this is key to that.
The Senate’s debate on the Big Beautiful Bill Act came as Trump is pushing to pass the bill by July 4. Johnson confirmed that he is speaking with House Republicans on Tuesday to preview the schedule, expressing confidence that Thune will be able to deliver on the bill before the deadline.
On Truth Social, Trump has urged Senate Republicans to “lock yourself in a room” if necessary and pass the bill this week. He has also encouraged them to work with House Republicans so they can pass the bill “immediately.”
THUNE RUNS INTO ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ TIME CRUNCH AHEAD OF JULY 4 DEADLINE
“NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE,” Trump said. “Everyone, most importantly the American People, will be much better off thanks to our work together.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a fiscal hawk in the House, revealed on Monday that he will not vote for the reconciliation bill in its current form. Instead, he urged lawmakers to create “a better, more beautiful bill.”