Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), two key holdouts, mentioned Saturday that they’ll vote to advance the Senate’s model of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” citing modifications made to the textual content unveiled by GOP leaders on Friday.
Collins mentioned she’s going to vote for the movement to proceed to the laws out of deference to Senate Majority Chief John Thune (R-S.D.), however warned that she nonetheless has important considerations with the laws and can suggest a number of amendments to alter it.
“I am planning to vote for the motion to proceed. Generally, I give deference to the majority leader’s power to bring bills to the Senate floor. Does not in any way predict how I’m going to vote on final passage,” she mentioned.
“That’s going to depend on whether the bill is substantially changed,” she mentioned. “There are some very good changes that have been made in the latest version but I want to see further changes and I will be filing a number of amendments.”
Collins vote on the procedural movement is essential as two conservatives, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) say they received’t vote for the laws because it now stands.
Thune scored one other massive victory when Hawley, who had sounded the alarm over a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} in federal Medicaid cuts, instructed reporters that he’ll vote for the movement to proceed to the invoice and also will assist closing passage of the 940-page Senate model of the laws, which leaders unveiled Friday evening.
Hawley mentioned that modifications to the laws will lead to considerably extra federal Medicaid funding for Missouri over the subsequent 4 years.
He additionally cited $1 billion in funding for Missourians affected by radiation publicity associated to the nuclear weapons growth within the Nineteen Forties throughout Manhattan Challenge as causes for his sure vote.
“With the delay in the provider tax framework that we were able to get and with the changes to the rural hospital fund, Missouri’s Medicaid dollars will actually increase over the next four years,” he mentioned.
“We will get more money, Medicaid funding, over baseline until 2030. Any changes to our provider framework in Missouri will not take place until the next decade,” he mentioned.
He famous that GOP leaders agreed to extend a rural hospital reduction fund from $15 billion to $25 billion and adjusted the funding formulation to supply extra federal funds to his residence state.
He additionally mentioned that the Radiation Publicity Compensation Act funding he requested is “fully here and fully intact.”
“That will mean major new dollars flowing to the state of Missouri, expansion of health care for the people of Missouri. On that basis, I’m going to vote yes on this bill,” he mentioned.
Senate Republicans management 53 seats and might afford solely three defections of their caucus and nonetheless go the invoice.
If the movement to proceed clears a easy majority threshold, the chamber would debate the invoice earlier than shifting to a “vote-a-rama,” throughout which limitless amendments will be dropped at the ground, earlier than a closing vote.
