House Republicans Strip Bill of Key Provisions to Ensure Senate Passage

House Republicans have made significant changes to a bill initially proposed by Donald Trump, removing key provisions to ensure its survival in the Senate. The bill, which was passed by the House on Wednesday with a vote of 213 to 207, underwent a procedural maneuver that allowed for automatic updates without requiring a second full House vote. The only Republican to vote against the bill was Thomas Massie from Kentucky.

The changes were necessary to maintain the bill's reconciliation status, which allows it to bypass the filibuster and pass the Senate with a simple majority. Without these adjustments, the bill would have faced a 60-vote threshold, making its passage highly unlikely. The stripped-down version of the bill is designed to preserve its viability ahead of the Senate's review.

Several high-profile items were removed from the original House version to comply with Senate rules. These included $2 billion for Pentagon military intelligence, over $500 million for missile development, and a policy aimed at curbing the employee retention tax credit, which had become a target for fraud during and after the pandemic. The removal of these items was crucial to avoid a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian that could have made the bill vulnerable to a filibuster and likely doomed its chances of passing.

Republicans are not finished with their revisions. The Senate parliamentarian is still reviewing the remaining sections of the bill, and additional cuts may be necessary to comply with budget rules. This means more adjustments are expected in the coming days, as Republicans aim to pass the full bill by July 4.

Republicans plan to reintroduce some of the policies that were removed, but they will attempt to do so through the Senate version of the bill. This approach aims to ensure that the language is correct and that the fast-track privilege is maintained. Senate Republicans are currently drafting their version of the package, with a deadline of less than a month to finalize it.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed confidence in the Senate's ability to produce a workable version of the bill. He stated, "We’ll see what they produce. I just need them to come to their final decisions on everything. So we’ll see how it shapes up." However, aides in both chambers acknowledge the tight timeline and the potential for delays if the Senate's version diverges significantly from the House's.

To avoid a prolonged back-and-forth between the two chambers, the current plan is to resolve all disputes during the Senate process. This would allow the House to vote once more to approve the final version and send it to Trump for his signature. Key sticking points that need to be addressed include spending cuts, business tax extensions, and the SALT deduction cap.

Coordination between the House and Senate is crucial to avoid potential complications. Republican John Thune emphasized the need for coordination, stating, "There’s just a lot of coordination to hopefully avoid some of the potential snafus that could happen with something that’s this complicated."

Efforts are already underway to address these issues. For example, Republican Nick LaLota from New York met with Senate GOP staff to discuss raising the SALT cap. In a separate meeting, Republicans Chip Roy from Texas and Scott Perry from Pennsylvania met with budget hawks to push for tighter spending limits and to maintain the House's cuts to clean energy tax credits.