WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says that the Trump-backed tax cut and spending bill may pass through Congress this week.
“Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home stretch, and we are counting on them to get the job done,” said Leavitt.
At the White House press briefing on Monday Leavitt said that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have had several discussions with President Donald Trump about passing the “big, beautiful bill.”
The bill would extend tax cuts passed in 2017 during President Trump’s first term in office and includes no tax on tips and hundreds of billions of dollars for the administration’s immigration initiatives.
In order to pay for the costs, Republicans are proposing steep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs, which Democrats warn would hurt many people and is fiscally irresponsible.
President Trump had called for the bill to be passed by the Fourth of July but in recent days has said that could change.
If the Senate passes the bill, the House will have to come back to pass the Senate version of the bill. It’s unclear if there are enough votes in the House to pass the bill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.