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ACCORDING TO LIZ - Late Saturday night the Republican-controlled Senate voted 51 to 49 to start debate on the Evil Egotist’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill, a mishmash of pro-plutocracy and regressive social policies masquerading as a budget.
This will be a very lengthy process fraught with passionate divisions even among the Elephants who bring conflicting concerns about massive changes to Medicaid, balancing the budget, and how high to lift the debt ceiling before a final vote.
The requested full reading aloud on the floor of the Senate of the 940-page bill to display its ugly underwear took 16 hours. Following that, each party gets 10 hours to debate the bill before what has become known as the vote-a-rama, during which individual senators can posture for their electorate to secure their own political futures by forcing votes on divisive issues that would not ordinarily be allowed by the majority leader.
Even if most Republicans refrain – although some want to put their reservations on record for their voters, more now that the Senate Parliamentarian has vetoed tailored amendments to get the necessary votes, and even if each of these is disposed of quickly by an up or down vote, the anticipated slew of amendment votes for such a bloated and controversial bill will be unlimited.
Unlimited.
So even working into the wee hours on Sunday, Majority Leader John Thune would be lucky to hold the vote on Monday.
Democrats will use the system to hold Republicans’ feet to the fire on issues crucial now and in the midterm elections.
Although unpopular elements have been jammed in the bill, Republicans themselves face a political reckoning from a president who is notorious for destroying careers of those who don’t tightly toe his line.
When Thom Tillis had the courage to join the Senate Democrats in voting against advancing the bill to a vote to protect Medicaid for his constituents, the Vengeful Egotist threatened to tank North Carolina’s senior senator’s 2026 primary campaign even though that might cost the Republicans the seat.
Tillis then declared he would not seek re-election, freeing himself to vote his conscience for the rest of his term.
The Senate version while removing a few of the worst of the worst in the House version, may be even worse in scope and impact on Main Street Americans.
Their bill’s cuts to Medicaid are far more harmful, threatening food assistance for millions and would deprive almost 12 million Americans of health insurance by 2034.
It has more giveaways to special interests augmenting already yawning disparities between the King and his courtiers’ billionaire buddies and the have-nots.
The bill would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and lard on new ones adding $3.8 trillion to the budget, while slashing over $1.1 trillion from safety-net programs on which too many Americans have to depend in this skewed economy.
The bottom line is based on the questionable and distorted assumption by Senate Republicans that all the expiring tax cuts are extended permanently and thus are folded into the “current policy baseline.” And have no cost.
The Congressional Budget Office weigh-in on this iteration’s cost? Almost one trillion dollars more than the $2.4 trillion projected debt increase from the House version.
Debt payments already exceed military spending. The president’s policy pushes bloating the bill only makes things worse.
Earlier this month, 38 of his caucus signed a letter to Thune, criticizing the size of the increase.
With the avowed deficit hawks amongst the Senate Republicans, it’s still unclear whether Thune can coerce enough votes for passage.
And the bigger battle for the Browbeating Bastard’s “signature legislation” may be in the House, where Mike Johnson will need to corral his extremists in reconciling and reconsidering a merged budget for House and Senate approval to send to the President.
Republican Don Bacon of Nebraska who has previously bucked Trump’s bullying tactics will also not run for re-election possibly giving the Dems an assist with upcoming votes and a shot at another seat in what will be truly competitive midterms.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that without action from Congress, the country won’t be able to pay its bills perhaps as early as mid-August this year.
The reconciliation process can take from 28 to 385 days and focuses on three key areas: spending directives, revenue aspects, and the debt ceiling.
All three are contentious areas in this bill and with the current members of the House and Senate.
Most importantly, if the bill is not passed and the debt ceiling isn’t lifted, the government won't be able meet its obligations and risk default on its ever-escalating debts.
Let’s look at the math.
Which would make the Trump Tariff yo-yoing appear a gentle forewarning of an economic storm that would be catastrophic for both the United States and the entire global financial structure.
(Liz Amsden is a former Angeleno who now resides in Vermont and is a regular contributor to CityWatch on issues that she is passionate about. She can be reached at [email protected].)
