LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The Republican-led Senate has been in session all night and is still going.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
They are debating potential changes to President Trump's massive tax and spending bill. Senate Republicans are hoping to pass the plan later today. But first, they have to take up a series of amendment votes from both parties that are still going at this hour. Democrats are fighting the plan's passage, and Senate Republicans still face internal divisions to get the plan to President Trump's desk by a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
FADEL: NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales joins us now to talk about all this. Good morning.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: OK. So we've seen Republicans consumed this year with trying to get this bill passed, and they're still going. How did they get here?
GRISALES: Right. As you mentioned, they've been jockeying all night. A vote moments ago took down a provision that would have blocked states from regulating artificial intelligence. But really, when we look at the center of the fight for this legislation, it's focused on extending tax cuts that were passed during President Trump's first term. It's going to cost trillions to install, and to pay for it, Republican fiscal hawks want deep cuts in Medicaid. This is the health care program used by low-income and disabled Americans. And it's a move more moderate members oppose. Senate Republican leaders, however, responding to these fiscal hawks, increased the Medicaid cuts with a new provision that could hurt rural hospitals. And that drew opposition from a number of Republicans, which is important because Senate Majority Leader John Thune can only afford to lose three members to get this across the finish line.
FADEL: OK. So in its current form, what could this legislation mean for Americans who rely on Medicaid?
GRISALES: Well, many will be under threat of losing their coverage. This is a large program. It's run in partnership with states. It covers more than 70 million Americans. And we know that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said an estimated 12 million Americans will be forced to lose their health care insurance under this new Senate version.
FADEL: And how else could this megabill impact American lives?
GRISALES: This really is sweeping legislation. It carries the bulk of President Trump's domestic agenda, and it will touch many facets of life. Aside from the tax cuts, there's retaining a current child tax credit level and shorter-term provisions like no tax on tips or overtime pay. And there's new spending for defense, as well as for immigration enforcement - so, for example, boosting efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border. And Republicans also want to spur investments in traditional sources of energy and undo a lot of the climate initiatives passed as part of former President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.
FADEL: So what happens next?
GRISALES: Well, before this can reach Trump's desk, the House will need to sign off on this Senate version. They're away on recess, but they've been alerted. They could be returning as early as Wednesday, assuming the Senate gets this through by then, and get going on this bill to start their voting process all over. But before they left, Speaker Mike Johnson warned members this could take time, and to keep their Fourth of July plans flexible. And with all these Senate changes, it's not clear this will be a smooth process in the House. We could see fights reemerge over spending versus Medicaid cuts. But we should note - there's some critical deadlines approaching. There's a provision to lift the debt ceiling by this summer. That's critical. If it doesn't happen, it could trigger catastrophic financial results.
FADEL: That's NPR's Claudia Grisales. Thank you, Claudia.
GRISALES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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