A trio of conservatives pushing for an extra $313 billion in federal Medicaid spending cuts marched into Senate Majority Chief John Thune’s (R-S.D.) workplace late Monday night time to hash out the subsequent steps for President Trump’s megabill after it appeared seemingly that an amendment to slow the growth of Medicaid was headed for defeat.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the sponsor of the modification to roll again the enlargement of Medicaid below the Reasonably priced Care Act, was noticed strolling into Thune’s workplace alongside Thune, Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Scott, Johnson and Lee held off from supporting a movement to proceed to Trump’s “large, lovely invoice” on Saturday with a view to negotiate a commitment from Thune and Vice President Vance to help an modification to gradual the enlargement of Medicaid.
Scott has expressed sturdy confidence that his modification would cross, nevertheless it turned evident Monday that it might not muster 50 votes after a number of GOP senators instructed The Hill that they might not help it.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), the previous governor of West Virginia, mentioned he’s not comfortable cutting more from Medicaid above the $930 billion in projected federal Medicaid spending cuts already included the 940-page Senate invoice.
Justice warned that Republicans may lose their Senate and Home majorities in the event that they push Medicaid cuts a lot additional.
“It simply looks as if we’ve taken it so far as I’m snug taking it,” he mentioned of Medicaid spending cuts.
“And now we’re taking it to a different degree,” he mentioned of Scott’s proposal to bar new enrollees into Medicaid in states that expanded this system from getting the beneficiant 90-percent federal match.
“Right here’s the factor I’m essentially the most involved about and that’s I’m hung up on protecting our majorities,” he mentioned.
“On the finish of all this, there’s a identify or a household, you realize. And in case you don’t be careful, you’re going to alienate them, and once you alienate them, we’re going to go proper again to the minority,” he warned.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) additionally instructed The Hill that he would vote in opposition to Scott’s modification.
Hawley mentioned he acquired a name from Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R), who pleaded with him to not help slicing one other $313 billion from federal Medicaid spending, which might hit states reminiscent of Missouri that expanded Medicaid.
The huddle got here greater than 13 hours right into a vote-a-rama, a vast collection of modification votes. The vote collection moved glacially for a lot of the day as GOP leaders awaited key rulings from the Senate parliamentarian and worked to win over holdouts.
Thune walked out of his workplace about 40 minutes later, telling reporters: “It is a collaborative course of, we’re collaborating.”