The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate may be about to take a sledgehammer to President Donald Trump's so-called "Big Beautiful Bill Act," according to one political analyst.
During a Monday segment on MSNBC, host Katy Tur asked journalist John Nichols of The Nation magazine about whether Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-Wisc.) concern about the projected multitrillion-dollar increase in the federal deficit that would come about if the pill was signed into law was genuine. Nichols responded that not only was Johnson serious about his plans to oppose it.
"There is no question that Ron Johnson is not alone," Nichols said, pointing out that Johnson ascended to the Senate largely for being a "very conservative" deficit hawk.
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"Johnson isn't up for reelection until 2028. There are a lot of other senators who are not up for reelection until 2028 or even 2030, who have some space in which they can stand up to Donald Trump in ways that a member of the House Republican caucus might find more difficult to do," he continued.
According to Nichols, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) may also prove to be a bellwether for how other Senate Republicans may be viewing the megabill that just passed the House of Representatives. Paul has previously condemned the legislation's language increasing the federal borrowing limit by another $5 trillion.
"I do think that there's a lot of Republican discomfort here," Nichols said. "And as we have expected, we are most likely to see it surface in the Senate."
While Republicans have the majority in the Senate, they can only afford three defections if they hope to pass a bill through the chamber, assuming all Democrats vote against it. Aside from Sens. Johnson and Paul, other Senate Republicans who are up for reelection next year like Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) could also potentially sink the bill with their opposition.
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Watch the video of Nichols' remarks below, or by clicking this link.