Republican senators in mutiny as Trump's Big Beautiful Bill sparks MAGA crisis: 'He's no better than Biden'
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Republican senators are breaking ranks with Donald Trump over his 'Big Beautiful Bill,' (BBB) branding it 'not good for conservatives' and vowing to vote against the proposed package amid concerns over the sky-rocketing national debt.
Budget hawks within the GOP, led by MAGA hardliner Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, have pledged to hold up the bill in the upper chamber unless it is significantly downsized.
Johnson warned that the legislation represented 'our one big opportunity' to address America's looming debt crisis and 'right now we're blowing it.' In a stern rebuke the senator told the All-In podcast on Saturday, if the bill passes in its current form, Republicans would be 'really no better than Democrats .'
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the BBB will add another $3.8 trillion to the national debt which currently stands at a monstrous $36 trillion - the interest payments alone now outpace defense spending as a proportion of GDP.
The bond market, seen as a crucial indicator for the health of the economy, tanked last week after the bill made it through the House on fears that the government won't be able to make good on its debts.
Johnson told CNN's State of the Union that he was willing to risk Trump's wrath and leave the bill in limbo 'until the president gets serious about spending reduction and reducing the deficit.'
The Republican said the Memorial Day holiday should give fellow senators time to reflect on 'the sacrifice of the finest among us' as they decide how they will vote.
'I don't think they served in sacrifice to leave our children completely mortgaged,' said Johnson, an otherwise fervent Trump supporter.
Johnson is not alone in stating his opposition to the bill, with others including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul saying he 'can't support' the legislation's multi-trillion-dollar increase to the national debt ceiling.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has urged his fellow Republicans to support the bill, but it faces a narrow path forward after several senators voiced concerns.
The GOP controls the senate 53-47, meaning Thune can lose only three votes, with Vice President JD Vance able to cast a tiebreaking vote if the chamber is deadlocked.
Senators Rick Scott, Lindsey Graham and Mike Lee have not gone as far as Johnson and Paul in saying they will vote no on the bill, but they have also urged leaders to reduce its spending to gain their support.
Graham broke out in laughter when CNN's Manu Raju asked him about 'spending cuts' in the bill, which the senator deemed 'not real.'
He warned his fellow Republicans to not 'get high on our horse here that we’ve somehow made some major advancement of reducing spending, because we didn’t.'
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' is intended to be an encompassing piece of legislation to allow Trump to move forward with much of his agenda, with policies ranging from tax cuts to immigration.
Medicaid has also come under the spotlight as it faces large cuts to its benefits, which Republican Senators Josh Hawley, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Jerry Moran have all said they would oppose, The Hill reported.
The legislation brings large spending increases that the GOP has fought against in recent years, including raising the debt limit by more than $4 trillion over the next two years.
Paul said last week that if the bill is voted upon in its current form, he would reject it outright, and would only consider voting for it 'if they'll take the debt ceiling off of it.'
'We’ve never, ever voted to raise the debt ceiling this much. It’ll be a historic increase,' he told reporters.
'I think it’s not good for conservatives to be on record supporting a $4 or $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling.
'It's not conservative, I can't support it.'
The bill also faced opposition from Republican budget hawks when it moved through the House last week, with five GOP members of Congress voting against it - not enough to stop it being sent to the Senate.
Johnson's appearance on the All In Podcast re-iterated his disapproval of the bill, as he said the 'first goal of this Republican budget reconciliation should be: Don't add to the deficit.'
'I voted for President Trump because I wanted him to defeat the deep state,' Johnson said.
'You don't defeat the deep state by continuing to fund it at Biden's levels.'
Johnson explained to Fox Business last week why the bill is likely to struggle.
'Unfortunately, President Trump chose the one, Big Beautiful Bill,' he said.
'What he should have done is the multiple-step process. I suggested three steps: get the border funding, the second step, just extend current tax law, so we take an automatic tax increase off the table.'
When asked if the bill would be passed by the end of the year, Johnson didn't mince words.
'Not if we don’t come down with a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending,' he said. 'There’s enough of us in the Senate that will not agree to that.'
