A multitude of issues reportedly remain before Republican senators agree on their version of the “one big, beautiful bill” of tax cuts and spending.
There are disagreements over the extent of cuts to such things as clean-energy tax credits, changes to Medicaid, and concerns about the federal deficit.
“Everyone is just pulling this Gumby in lots of different directions,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, The Wall Street Journal reported.
“We are not, I think, resolved as a conference as to what that bill looks like.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., though, insisted his conference would come together.
“We are going to get this done one way or the other,” Thune said, the Journal reported.
GOP lawmakers face a self-imposed July 4 deadline to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Whatever ultimately gets approved by the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, must again pass the House, which approved the first version by one vote.
The new week began amid fallout of Elon Musk, who formerly headed Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying he was opposed to the bill’s deficit spending.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the House bill would add a net $2.4 trillion to the deficit over a decade, on top of the $21.4 trillion in deficits already forecast through 2034.
On Sunday, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Congress must take a family-style approach to federal budgeting — reviewing every line, assigning a purpose, and ensuring the government lives within its means — calling for an annually balanced budget to tame the nation’s growing debt.
“You do what every family does,” Scott told “Fox News Sunday.” “You go through your budget and say, ‘That is nice to have, but we don’t make that much money.'”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., also wants more cuts.
“I want to see him [Trump] succeed; I really don’t want to make his life, his job, more difficult,” Johnson told reporters last week. “I don’t want to be a negative influence.”
The House bill slashes federal support for health, food, and education programs, and shifts more of the burden to states.
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a strong Trump ally, is running for governor in 2026. He plans to meet with other lawmakers concerned about a provision that would force states to pay at least 5% of the cost for food benefits for low-income families.
“You can’t overload the states with what’s supposed to be federally funded — we can’t afford it,” Tuberville said, the Journal reported.
There are other GOP concerns.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, wants to save money by targeting Medicare Advantage insurers’ practices of adding extra diagnoses; Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is demanding permanent deductions for investments in equipment and other business costs; Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, has concerns regarding the unwinding of tax credits for investment in and production of clean energy; and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, disagrees with raising the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions to $40,000 from $10,000.
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