Hans Nichols
President Trump is making a trip to Capitol Hill this morning to convince conservatives to come together on the budget bill. It won’t be his last.
Why it matters: House GOP officials are privately confident they will have an agreement before the Rules Committee hearing at 1am (not a typo) ET Wednesday. But it gets more difficult from there for Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson.
🤯 Medicaid is likely the sticky subject tomorrow.
- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) suggested on CNBC this morning the work requirements date would be moved up to “early 2027,” from the current 2029 target.
- Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who voted against the bill in the Budget Committee last Friday and then “present” last night, cited the implementation date as one reason.
- He’s still pushing to change the share of Medicaid funding that’s paid by the federal government, a big red line for some moderates.
But other GOP leadership aides insisted that nothing was final until all the members agreed.
Other gaps for Trump to bridge:
- ⚡️ The phase-out date for Biden’s clean energy tax cuts.
- 🧂 The SALT equation: How high for the cap and how long will it stay on the books?
Between the lines: While House and Senate committees have been “pre-conferencing” on contentious issues like Medicaid and IRA tax credits, individual senators are signaling they are reserving their right to alter provisions they don’t like.
- Senators expect Majority Leader John Thune will be forced to alter the bill, even with his three-vote margin and an easier job than Johnson’s.
- That will set up another vote in the House, where we expect the real skull-cracking to take place.
Zoom out: Adding urgency to the vote: the looming debt ceiling, which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has suggested could come as early as July or August.
