A trio of conservatives pushing for an additional $313 billion in federal Medicaid spending cuts marched into Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) office late Monday night to hash out the next steps for President Trump’s megabill after it appeared likely that an amendment to slow the growth of Medicaid was headed for defeat.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the sponsor of the amendment to roll back the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, was spotted walking into Thune’s office alongside Thune, Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).
Scott, Johnson and Lee held off from supporting a motion to proceed to Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” on Saturday in order to negotiate a commitment from Thune and Vice President Vance to support an amendment to slow the expansion of Medicaid.
Scott has expressed strong confidence that his amendment would pass, but it became evident Monday that it would not muster 50 votes after several GOP senators told The Hill that they would not support it.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), the former governor of West Virginia, said he’s not comfortable cutting more from Medicaid above the $930 billion in projected federal Medicaid spending cuts already included the 940-page Senate bill.
