One Big Beautiful Mess of a Bill
Plus: Faux-moderation is politically advantageous
Republicans are trying to advance a budget resolution that would provide the framework to support the most critical parts of President Trump’s agenda—or, at least, the parts the president can’t unilaterally accomplish on his own. But no one seems to be on the same page about which option will best serve that goal. Senate Republicans moved forward with a plan devised by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) focused largely on immigration, while the House is advancing their own, all-encompassing approach. Meanwhile, President Doanld Trump wants “one big beautiful bill” that will magically accomplish everything he wants without sacrificing anything. Also, it has to be politically tenable and uncontroversial. Why hasn’t anyone thought of that before!?!
Not long after the Senate advanced Graham’s budget, Trump flushed it down the toilet, writing in a Truth Social post:
The other issue is that while Trump says the House version “implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” he is also demanding they leave Medicaid alone while trying to find space to finance tax cuts. “Medicare, Medicaid—none of that stuff is going to be touched,” Trump said in a recent interview.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Bulwark to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.