Senate Appropriation Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) supported a motion Saturday night to advance President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” towards final passage this week in a close 51-49 vote. In doing so, though, she warned that she “is leaning against the bill,” if further changes aren’t made before a final vote.
“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,” Sen. Collins told reporters on Saturday.
“I will be filing a number of amendments,” she added.
Those amendments are likely to bear on a support fund for rural hospitals. In an earlier version of the bill, this was funded at $15 billion though has been increased to $25 billion. Collins is seeking closer to $100 billion.
Maine has recently seen the closure of a hospital in Waterville as well as OB/GYN wings being shut fown at other regional hospitals throughout the state.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), another holdout who, like Collins, had cited Medicaid cuts as his primary concern with Trump’s signature legislation, also voted to advance the bill Saturday night. North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, however, voted no and also announced he would not be seeking a third term.
Maine’s junior senator, Angus King (I-ME), voted against advancing the bill, joining Reps. Jared Golden (D-CD2) and Chellie Pingree (D-CD1), who called the legislation “reckless.”
Always on the prowl to one-up Rep. Pingree, Sen. King called the bill “not just irresponsible, but cruel.”
The bill includes an increase to the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction as well as increased deduction limits on tips and overtime and the standard deduction. It pays for these in part through restrictions on the Medicaid program, that provides health care for lower-income Americans, specifically using eligibility requirements and lowered provider taxes. It also raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
President Trump has set an ambitious July 4 deadline for final passage. Presuming the Senate gets there this week, the bill would have to go back to the House for approval of all changes, setting a tense tightrope act for Republican leaders.
