Trump celebrates ‘big beautiful bill’ despite Senate parliamentarian rejecting key elements – live | US supreme court

Republicans in Congress are scrambling to resolve nettlesome tax and health care provisions in their sweeping tax-cut and spending bill as Donald Trump presses them to pass the legislation by his 4 July deadline (which is … next week).

Trump plans to promote the package – which nonpartisan analysts say will add about $3tn to the federal government’s $36.2tn in debt – at an afternoon White House event that will feature truck drivers, firefighters, ranchers and other workers who the administration says would benefit from the bill.

But Senate Republicans have yet to produce their version of their legislation ahead of a possible weekend vote, and the overall shape of the bill appeared more uncertain after a nonpartisan referee ruled that several healthcare provisions violated the complex process Republicans are invoking to bypass Democratic opposition.

Those elements collectively represented more than $250bn in health care cuts, according to Democratic senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. Democrats have lined up against the bill, portraying it as a wasteful giveaway to the wealthiest Americans.

Senate Republicans have spent the last several weeks revising a bill that passed the House by one vote last month. It is unclear whether the GOP will be able to rework the bill to comply with the complex budget rules, as they have already done with some elements, or seek to override the decision by the Senate parliamentarian.

Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, told reporters:

It’s pretty frustrating. But you know, what we’ve got to do is work through this process and come up with something that you know, fulfills the Trump agenda and also has fiscal sanity. Look, I believe this bill is going to pass. I know there’s a lot of work left to do.

A source familiar with the situation told Reuters Senate Republicans still had a path forward and described the 4 July deadline as achievable.

Republicans remain at odds over several provisions – notably a proposed tax break for state and local tax payments and a tax on health care providers that some states use to boost the federal government’s contribution to the Medicaid health plan.

The parliamentarian also flagged provisions that would deny student aid and Medicaid health coverage to some immigrants, as well as a provision that would prohibit Medicaid funding for transgender medical care.

Lawmakers a half-century ago decided that the Senate parliamentarian, currently Elizabeth MacDonough, would hold the power to determine what policies they can enact through “budget reconciliation,” the process that Republicans are using now to bypass the chamber’s “filibuster” rule that requires 60 of the 100 members to agree on most legislation.

Republican senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama wrote that she should be fired.

Her job is not to push a woke agenda. Tuberville wrote on social media.

Others, notably Senate majority leader John Thune, have said they will not to overturn her rulings.