BURSTPresident Trump said Tuesday he was somewhat confident his tax and spending megabill can pass the upper chamber, as senators head to the floor to vote.
When asked about his confidence level, the president replied, “I don’t know, what does confident mean when you have one vote and you have 100 people going to vote?”
“I think so,” he added. “I think it's going to be the greatest bill ever passed. ... Tremendous amount of homeland security, tremendous amount. It’s going to keep the border secure.”
The president landed in Florida to visit a new migrant detention center. During his flight, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters in Washington that he thinks he has a deal with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to pass the megabill. The leader cautioned he’s a “realist,” however, indicating he’s not counting anything as finished until the final vote is cast.
GOP leadership was hopeful it had secured Murkowski’s vote by crafting language to provide an enhanced federal Medicaid match for Alaska and a waiver to shield the state from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts.
When asked if he’s concerned at all about cuts to Medicaid in the bill, Trump replied that cuts are only for “waste, fraud and abuse.”
“The Democrats have it wrong. Waste, fraud and abuse,” he said.
Before leaving for Florida, the president said he wants “to keep it to” the self-imposed July 4 deadline, but he acknowledged difficulties with getting it passed the Senate and House in time.
“I'd love to do July 4, but I think it's very hard to do July 4. It was two months ago, I would think maybe July 4, but somewhere around there,” he said.