Senate parliamentarian strikes down big, beautiful bill

Well, it would appear that Donald Trump has yet another problem with the big, beautiful bill.  

The Senate parliamentarian has just noted several aspects of the bill that do not pass muster, but that is just the latest challenge Trump and the GOP are facing.  

Get It Done 

We have not heard a lot from Chief of Staff Susie Wiles since Trump took office, but that does not mean she has not been busy behind the scenes.  

Republicans in the Senate just got the proverbial boot kick from Wiles, telling them to get it in gear and have that bill on Donald Trump’s desk for his signature by July 4.  

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) has joined Wiles in creating this sense of urgency, which was confirmed by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). 

Scott played it a bit coy with the media, but he stated, “Everybody I talked to in the White House would like to see a bill by July.” 

Dead on Arrival 

For the Senate bill to be on Trump’s desk by July 4, which is now less than two weeks away, it will have to pass muster in the House, and that is currently not the situation.  

Several House members are on record saying they will not support the bill with the current changes that were made by the Senate to the bill the House passed already.  

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is among those, stating, "The message we’re delivering back — both to Senate leadership and to Senate conservatives — that they’re not getting the job done in terms of terminating the ‘Green New Scam’ subsidies, or frankly going far enough on Medicaid.” 

This is why it is so infuriating that they have not been working on this longer, as all these problems should have already been worked out.  

We Have a Problem 

As if all this were not bad enough, now the Senate parliamentarian has thrown another wrench into the system for the GOP.  

Numerous provisions in the Senate version of the bill are in violation of Senate rules, so they must be stripped out before the package can be put on the floor for a vote, says the parliamentarian.  

If the GOP does not want to remove them, then the filibuster comes back into play, as reconciliation can no longer be used, and we already know the Democrats will not offer enough support to get to 60 votes.  

The alternative would be for Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-S.D.) to overrule the parliamentarian, but to this point, he has stated he would not be willing to do that. Let’s see if that position holds up once Trump starts applying pressure.