Top Republican congressional leaders met separately with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday as they try to finalize the “big, beautiful bill” before a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune met in private with Trump, according to a person granted anonymity to describe the undisclosed event, as Senate Republicans strain to settle several tricky provisions involving Medicaid, the state-and-local-tax deduction, key Trump tax priorities and more.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and other GOP lawmakers later attended a White House event with Trump touting key tax provisions of the House-passed tax bill. They include a tax exemption for tips — something Senate Republicans are considering scaling down in order to fit in other business tax extensions and other Senate-side priorities.
Thune met with Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo after returning to the Capitol. The tight-lipped Idaho Republican declined to discuss when he might have his piece of the bill ready but acknowledged that a key priority for many Senate Republicans — making certain business tax incentives permanent — is a “work in progress.”
Thune could head back to the White House for more meetings this week. He’s also in close contact with Johnson, who said at the White House event Monday that he talked with Thune on Sunday night and his message to Senate remains “don’t modify it too much.”
