Senate Republican Chief John Thune reiterated that “failure is just not an possibility” as he works to get GOP holdouts on the megabill advancing President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda in line — particularly amid Elon Musk’s efforts to tank the bill.
“This can be a crew effort, and everyone goes to be rowing in the identical route to get this throughout the end line. Failure is just not an possibility, and we intend to ship, together with the president for the American folks on the issues that he dedicated to do and that we dedicated to do by way of the agenda,” Thune informed reporters after he left a gathering with Trump on the White Home on Thursday.
As issues at present stand, Thune can afford to lose solely three of his GOP members to cross the bundle, and proper now, he has extra members than that expressing severe doubts concerning the invoice.
The Home-passed laws extends the Trump 2017 tax cuts, boosts spending for the army and border safety — whereas making some cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and different help applications. It may additionally add $3 trillion to the deficit over the subsequent decade, in keeping with an evaluation out Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Price range Workplace.
Because the Senate weighs potential adjustments to the state and native tax (SALT) deduction cap as a part of the tax portion of the invoice, Home Republicans from blue states are already threatening to derail the invoice’s prospects.
Republican Senate Majority Chief John Thune together with Sen. Mike Crapo put together to talk to reporters after assembly with President Trump on the White Home in Washington, June 4, 2025.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“Let’s be clear — no SALT, no deal,” New York Republican Mike Lawler mentioned Wednesday in a submit on X.
New York Rep. Nick LaLota is on the identical web page, posting on X: “No SALT. No Deal. For Actual.”
The Home-passed invoice raises the deduction restrict of state and native taxes from federal revenue tax submitting from $10,000 to $40,000 for joint filers making lower than $500,000 per 12 months. The cap will increase then by 1% yearly thereafter.
Thune signaled adjustments could possibly be coming to the SALT deal that was struck within the Home, however the particulars are nonetheless unclear.
“It might be very, very onerous to get the Senate to vote for what the Home did,” Thune informed reporters. “We have simply obtained some people who really feel actually strongly on this.”
Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned he spoke to the SALT caucus on the ground throughout Home votes Wednesday and plans to “talk” their crimson line with Senate leaders.
The SALT deal is “a really delicate factor and we now have to keep up the equilibrium level that we reached within the Home, and it took us nearly a 12 months… so I do not assume we will toss that,” Johnson mentioned.
Musk’s impact on negotiations
Not serving to Thune’s endeavor to sway the defectors are frequent posts from Musk concentrating on the invoice — and on Thursday concentrating on the president.
Musk on Thursday quoted a 2013 post from Trump criticizing Republicans for extending the debt ceiling, with Musk writing, “Clever phrases.”
Earlier, Musk slammed the invoice, calling it a “disgusting abomination” and later urged all members of Congress to “kill the invoice.”
Elon Musk attends a press convention with US President Trump within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, Could 30, 2025.
Francis Chung/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Trump touted the invoice from the White Home on Thursday — dismissing the scathing criticism from Musk.
“I am very disillusioned as a result of Elon knew the inner-workings of this invoice higher than nearly anyone sitting right here higher than you folks. He knew the whole lot about it. He had no drawback with it. Impulsively he had an issue,” Trump mentioned.
Johnson mentioned he plans to talk on to Musk on Thursday, a day after the speaker mentioned the billionaire was “flat unsuitable” in his criticism of the invoice.
Johnson mentioned Musk “appears fairly dug in proper now. and I am unable to fairly perceive the motivation behind it.”
“However I might let you know that what we’re delivering on this invoice is just not solely historic tax cuts, however historic financial savings as properly. He appears to overlook that,” Johnson added.
President Donald Trump speaks throughout a gathering with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, June 5, 2025, in Washington.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Thune mentioned Wednesday that though he cannot communicate to Musk’s motivations for his opposition, he’ll proceed to push for the invoice’s success within the Senate.
Musk’s public bashing of the invoice got here up in senators’ assembly with Trump on Thursday, mentioned Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, describing it as a “laughing dialog for 30 seconds.”
“It was very a lot in jest and laughing, and I feel he mentioned one thing optimistic about Elon appreciating what he did for the nation,” Marshall mentioned.
ABC Information’ Will Steakin, Mary Bruce, Molly Nagle and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
