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‘Yeah, I don’t love that,’ or how the House learned to start jamming the Senate

Political Theater, Episode 360

Josh Hawley is among the Senate Republicans who are unenthusiastic about the House’s proposed cuts to Medicaid.
Josh Hawley is among the Senate Republicans who are unenthusiastic about the House’s proposed cuts to Medicaid. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Usually, when Congress gets down to the wire on a legislative deadline, the Senate tells the House what is possible and the House more or less goes along with what the Senate can pass, given its procedural limitations such as the filibuster. But the budget process, or what passes for the budget process these days, can scramble things a bit, and what we are observing now is a closely divided GOP-majority House turn the tables on the closely divided GOP-majority Senate. Asked about the extent of House-proposed cuts to the Medicaid health program, for instance, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., replied, “I don’t love that.”

But here we are. In recent days, the Senate and House have both passed versions of their own budget resolution, one of the key steps in constructing a so-called reconciliation bill that will cut spending and taxes and enact GOP legislative priorities without having to deal with the usual Senate roadblocks. But there’s a long way to go until something heads to the president’s desk, so we’re going to talk about what’s been happening and what is going on with CQ Roll Call’s illustrious Budget Tracker, David Lerman.

Show Notes:

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