A 'cantankerous' GOP senator is threatening to tank Trump's bill: report
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has tasked the House with passing President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” before Memorial Day.
However, another Johnson, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is threatening the bill won't make it to Trump’s desk, according to a report from Politico.
Senator Johnson is insisting on returning the federal government to the “pre-pandemic” level of spending.
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The outlet reports, “The frequently cantankerous Wisconsin senator is pushing his fellow Republicans to deliver huge spending cuts as part of their party-line domestic policy bill — and vowing to block President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority if his demands, which are shared by a small cadre of fiscal hawks, aren’t met.”
The Senator has good precedent for believing his vote could make a significant difference. Politico noted, “In 2017, [Johnson] vowed to oppose the [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act].”
The bill was set to benefit mostly big business with “better treatment of so-called 'pass-through' businesses, which comprise most privately held companies.” Johnson advocated for the bill to benefit small businesses as well.
It was a political gamble that paid off for Johnson. In that bill, the GOP included a new 20 percent deduction rate for pass-through business income.
Politico estimates it was a “$414 billion line item in the $1.5 trillion Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.”
Fellow members of the Senate are taking Johnson’s threats seriously. “He’s as serious as a heart attack,” Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), told Politico.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune added, “I know [returning government spending to pre-pandemic levels is] a huge priority for [Johnson], which is why I’ve suggested all along that [the House] prioritize spending cuts in the package.”
Politico believes Johnson’s vote might not be the only potential Senate Republican holdout.
Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME) are also potential holdouts on the bill.
While the Senator and House Speaker share the same last name, Johnson, they are not known to be related.