The Republicans of the House of Representatives are running against the time to ensure enough votes for the expense bill of President Donald Trump, since several members of the Republican party remain undecided before a crucial vote.
Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Neb., Defended the controversial bill in an interview with ABC News Live, recognizing concerns about changes in Medicaid, while emphasizing what he sees as critical benefits for middle -class Americans.
“If I vote not about this, I am voting to increase income taxes to all by 20%,” said Bacon, explaining that for middle -class families in Nebraska, this would mean approximately $ 1,700 more in taxes annually. “For someone who earns $ 50,000 a year, it is a tax increase of $ 141 per month.”
Representative Don Bacon walks to a vote, on May 14, 2025, in Capitol Hill.
Tom Brenner for Washington Post through Getty Images
The legislation, which the Senate approved on Tuesday with the vote vote of Vice President JD Vance, includes approximately $ 4 billion in tax cuts and new expenses in the application of immigration. However, the bill faces a significant opposition of moderate Republicans and the hard -line fiscal conservatives in the Chamber.
According to ABC News Capitol Hill correspondent, Jay O’Brien, the president of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, lacks the necessary votes on Wednesday night to advance the bill. “The camera’s floor is in point,” O’Brien said, noting that a dozen Republican shales remain unvoiled despite Trump’s direct appeals.
Bacon, while supporting the bill, expressed reservations on Senate modifications to the provisions of Medicaid. “I think that the Chamber’s Bill is better,” he said, but defended central changes as mainly focused on health requirements for healthy adults without young children.
“We are trying for people to work and return them to the employer’s insurance,” Bacon said. He stressed that the most important reductions in Medicaid would come from the implementation of the work requirements and the audit of current recipients to guarantee eligibility.
The Chief correspondent of the White House of Abc News, Mary Bruce, reports that moderate Republicans are particularly concerned about estimates that suggest that 11.8 million people could lose their insurance under the bill. Meanwhile, conservative opponents care about the legislation that adds an estimated $ 3.4 billion to the national debt during the next decade.
Johnson told ABC News that he is still “optimistic and hopeful” about passing the bill on Wednesday night, although Republicans can only afford to lose three votes of his party to ensure the passage.
When they are pressed on democratic criticisms that the bill prioritizes tax cuts for the rich at the expense of social programs, Bacon retreated.
“The rich actually pay a higher participation under this bill, and all obtain a 20%tax reduction.” He added that the percentage decreases for those who earn more than $ 100,000.
The Chamber continued negotiations on Wednesday night, since it is approaching the deadline of July 4, with the extension of children’s tax credit and the national defense expense in the balance.
