WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump’s so-called “one big, beautiful bill” is getting smaller.
In recent days, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has taken shears to the sweeping tax and spending legislation, leaving multiple provisions on the cutting-room floor as Republicans press for a final vote as soon as this week.
Gone are GOP-led efforts to curb environmental regulations, attempts to restrict federal judges' powers, plans to bulk up immigration enforcement and to cut funding from the federal agency launched to protect American consumers after the 2008 financial crisis. MacDonough determined each item was in violation of a critical Senate rule that prohibit extraneous measures in bills like the one Trump wants on his desk for signature by July 4.
What to know: Trump's tax bill has a big week ahead in Washington
The loss of these and other items complicates the already difficult endeavor for Republicans who are trying to secure Trump a big second-term win on Capitol Hill. Trump has given Congress the artificial Independence Day deadline to get the legislation passed. But with less than two weeks left until the country's 249th birthday, leadership in both chambers have a near-Herculean task before them if they're going to meet the Republican president's demands.
