Republican Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky leaned into their criticism of President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill,” which narrowly passed the House last week, during Sunday morning TV interviews.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment on criticism of the bill.
Why It Matters
The Trump-backed budget reconciliation bill includes a range of priorities for the president, including new tax breaks and a renewal of his signature 2017 tax cuts from his first term. The bill has faced significant criticism for new Medicaid requirements and targeted spending cuts, which Democrats say will harm many Americans.
Critics, including some conservatives, have warned the bill, largely due to the tax breaks, will significant increase the national debt. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has scored the legislation and said Wednesday that it would add $3.1 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.
While Johnson and Paul are often in lockstep with fellow Republicans and Trump, they have emerged as some of the most vocal critics of the bill. With a 53-47 majority in the Senate, Republicans are unlikely to pass the bill if it loses the support of more than three GOP senators.
What To Know
Johnson, in an interview with CNN‘s Jake Tapper on State of the Union on Sunday morning, described the Trump-backed budget bill as “immoral,” raising alarms about government spending. The Wisconsin Republican said he’s consistently raised these same concerns since he first ran for Congress.
“My campaign promise in 2010, and every campaign after that, was to stop mortgaging our children’s future. It’s immoral, it’s wrong and it has to stop,” Johnson told Tapper. Saying that Trump “may not be worried about that,” the GOP senator said he personally is “extremely worried” about rampant government spending.
“We’ve witnessed an unprecedented level of increase spending,” he warned.
Paul, speaking to Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream, shared a similar perspective.
“If you increase the debt ceiling $4 to $5 trillion, that means they’re planning on $2 trillion this year and more than $2 trillion next year. That’s just not conservative,” the Kentucky Republican said.
As Paul said, the legislation includes a $4 trillion debt ceiling increase. The GOP senator said he will “consider” voting for the bill if the debt ceiling increase is stripped out.
“Somebody has to stand up and yell, ‘The emperor has no clothes,’” Paul said. “Everybody is falling in lockstep on this—’Pass the big, beautiful bill. Don’t question anything.’ Well, conservatives do need to stand up and have their voices heard,” he said.
What’s in Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill?
The bill includes a targeted tax break for seniors receiving Social Security. Specifically, the bill provides a new $4,000 deduction for individuals aged 65 and older, designed to reduce the taxable portion of their benefits.
It raises the state and local taxes (SALT) deduction cap for middle-income households, including measures like a 3.5 percent tax on remittances and greater scrutiny of nonprofits.
Regarding health care and social programs, the bill introduces work requirements and cost-sharing measures for Medicaid recipients and tightens eligibility and funding rules for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It also bans federal Medicaid funds from being used for gender-affirming care and further restricts abortion-related spending.
National defense and border security will also see significant boosts. The bill authorizes an additional $150 billion for military spending and $70 billion for border enforcement, including over $46 billion for new wall construction and high-tech surveillance.
The legislation also includes a $4 trillion debt ceiling increase. The bill, which overall includes about $4.9 trillion in tax breaks, was passed in the House after weeks of negotiations and talks with Republicans, some of whom were concerned about constituents losing critical benefits and others who called for further budget cuts.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social last week: “THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL” has PASSED the House of Representatives! This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!”
He added a message to Senate Republicans: “Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! There is no time to waste.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement on Thursday: “Today, the House has passed generational, nation-shaping legislation that reduces spending, permanently lowers taxes for families and job creators, secures the border, unleashes American energy dominance, restores peace through strength, and makes government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans.”
Right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon on his show War Room on Friday: “We just don’t see how the math works… Unless in the Senate there’s going to be a tax increase.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: “Under Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’, the top 0.1% will see their income increase by nearly $400,000 next year, while Americans making less than $51,000 will see their incomes GO DOWN. Oligarchs are waging a war on the working class, and they are intent on winning.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, wrote on X on Saturday: “Far Right extremists barely got the GOP Tax Scam out of the House. Keep the pressure on and we can stop them in the Senate.”
What Happens Next
The Republican budget package will now move to the Senate after narrowly passing in the House early Thursday morning. Other GOP senators, including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have also raised concerns about the bill.
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