{"id":2637645,"date":"2026-07-30T06:38:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-trump-the-closer\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T06:44:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:44:36","slug":"how-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-trump-the-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-trump-the-closer\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Big Beautiful Bill became law: Trump the closer"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-big-beautiful-bill-became-law-trump-the-closer%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2637645&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses how Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praises President donald trump for effectively securing congressional votes for the &#8220;One Big Gorgeous Bill,&#8221; which encompassed a broad legislative agenda including tax cuts, social issues, and policy reforms. Trump actively engaged with lawmakers thru calls, personal meetings, and strategic negotiations, often exercising his influence via endorsements to sway members of Congress. Key figures such as house Majority Leader Steve Scalise and pollster John mclaughlin highlight Trump&#8217;s hands-on approach and leadership in passing the legislation,which aimed to address numerous issues like tax extension,school choice,border security,and social policies.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s strategic use of endorsements played a crucial role, with most House Republicans supporting the bill, accept for a few like libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who prioritized district interests or had policy disagreements. The legislative process involved intraparty conflicts between House and Senate Republicans over the bill&#8217;s structure, particularly whether to pass it in one or multiple pieces, with the House ultimately prevailing.<\/p>\n<p>The White house team, led by james Braid and Senator JD Vance, coordinated intensive lobbying efforts, including private meetings at Trump National Golf Club to secure votes. Trump also faced and navigated contentious issues such as the inclusion of language to defund Planned Parenthood, which was influenced heavily by anti-abortion groups advocating for policy changes to reflect their priorities.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s active involvement, political negotiations, and strategic endorsements were key to navigating the complex legislative landscape and ensuring the bill&#8217;s passage, marking a significant legislative accomplishment in his governance.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Treasury Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/scott-bessent\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11700\">Scott Bessent<\/a> smiled when recalling how President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> convinced a slew of congressional Republicans to vote yes on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/the-big-beautiful-bill\/\">One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s the president at his best\u201d when he has to deal with lawmakers who want something for their yes votes, Bessent said.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4662180\/big-beautiful-bill-trump-the-closer-republicans-congress\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>How the Big Beautiful Bill became law: Trump the closer<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4668375\/george-santos-max-miller-step-aside-domestic-violence-allegations\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>George Santos says Max Miller should \u2018step aside\u2019 amid domestic violence allegations<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4663210\/minnesota-republicans-doj-stamp-out-somali-gangs\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Minnesota Republicans urge DOJ to \u2018stamp out\u2019 state\u2019s Somali gang problem<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump would dial up legislators on the fence from the Oval Office on multiple occasions. And they knew who was calling, Bessent added, because it \u201ccomes up all zeros\u201d on their phones.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He told\u00a0the <em>Washington\u00a0Examiner<\/em>,\u00a0\u201cA lot of people get weak-kneed when the president calls, and he usually has completed the transaction within a couple of minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/the-big-beautiful-bill\/\">HOW THE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL BECAME LAW: READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER\u2019S 10-PART SERIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/steve-scalise\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1757\">Steve Scalise<\/a> (R-LA) said Trump \u201cwas our best closer.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John McLaughlin, a Trump pollster, said getting the bill done by Independence Day was an ambitious goal and the president \u201cwilled\u201d it to happen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Ways and Means Committee Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jason-smith\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3873\">Jason Smith<\/a> (R-MO) said Trump was engaged throughout the bill\u2019s ups and downs: \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many times the president called me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans interviewed for this series said Trump understood the politics of extending the 2017 tax cuts he signed into law during his first term. If the reductions weren\u2019t renewed, Republicans said people and the economy would suffer because taxes would go up roughly $4 trillion over 10 years. But Trump was well aware that just extending the tax reductions wouldn\u2019t be enough to get the 2025 measure over the finish line, especially with Republicans having small majorities in the House and Senate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The scope of the big beautiful bill was enormous, addressing school choice, the border, the military, spectrum, Medicaid, and many other items. Scalise told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that 11 committee chairmen worked on the legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the\u00a0meat and potatoes of the legislation was taxes, and Trump realized there needed to be some new bells and whistles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a 2024 campaign stop in Nevada, home to many service workers, Trump rattled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"748\">Kamala Harris\u2019s<\/a> campaign by promising no taxes on tips if elected. A couple months later, Harris endorsed the idea and Trump called her a \u201ccopycat.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump doubled down\u00a0by promising no taxes on overtime and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/social-security\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"796\">Social Security<\/a>, and those concepts were subsequently put in the big beautiful bill. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were other new ideas, such as the \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/4633263\/trump-accounts-official-launch\/\">Trump Accounts<\/a>,\u201d 401(k)-like retirement savings program for children, which Bessent and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) pushed for. Cruz has called the creation of the accounts \u201cTrump\u2019s New Deal\u201d and said the\u00a0accounts will be transformative\u00a0for decades to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, passing the behemoth measure was never going to be easy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-trump-wields-his-endorsement-power\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump wields his endorsement power<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest weapon Trump wielded to get the votes was his coveted endorsements in primaries. If you crossed Trump, there was a significant risk he would endorse, or recruit, a GOP challenger. While a few have survived Republican primaries against a Trump-backed opponent, such cases are rare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump and Republican leaders could only afford a few GOP defections in both the House and the Senate. And there was a lot of squawking from a couple dozen GOP and conservatives. The centrists were wary of the bill\u2019s Medicaid spending reforms, while Freedom Caucus members insisted on massive deficit reduction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460164\/trump-endorsement-tracker-gop-2026-election-primaries\/\">TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE\u2019S WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS PICKED IN GOP MIDTERM ELECTION PRIMARIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the Senate barely passed the\u00a0big beautiful bill, Trump turned his attention to the always unpredictable House. After countless conversations in person and on the phone,\u00a0Trump ended up getting all but two House Republicans to vote for the bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One no vote was Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"17668\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY), a frequent target of Trump\u2019s ire. Massie had survived prior primary challenges, but Trumpworld this cycle went all in and recruited a strong candidate to take him on in 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Massie, a libertarian lawmaker who has served in Congress since 2012, regularly bucked the White House, and Trump wanted him gone \u2014 especially after he rejected the president\u2019s top legislative\u00a0priority. Massie, who relishes taking on the GOP establishment, reportedly got tired of Trump\u2019s incessant public attacks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\">trump-massie-collage<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/trump-massie-collage-e1779226189375<\/a>.jpg?1779211776&#038;w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">trump-massie-collage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Toward the end of the debate last summer, the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/policy\/how-trump-got-his-big-beautiful-bill-across-the-finish-line-4e4d06cc\">reported that Massie <\/a>agreed to vote for a pivotal procedural measure that allowed the final version of the big beautiful bill to advance under the condition that Trump would ease up on him. Trump later renewed his criticisms of Massie, who in May lost to Trump\u2019s endorsed candidate, Ed Gallrein.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other no vote was Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), a former FBI agent who represents a battleground district. Unlike Massie, Fitzpatrick is usually a reliable vote for GOP leaders and doesn\u2019t engage in skirmishes with the president. He rejected the final bill because of its Medicaid and energy tax provisions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked what he was feeling when he cast his vote, Fitzpatrick told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>,\u00a0\u201cStanding by my district, that\u2019s a good feeling, it\u2019s not a bad feeling. If you fear people in this town, then yes, it\u2019s anxiety-provoking. I don\u2019t work for anybody here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fitzpatrick had voted for the initial House bill, but said the Senate made the measure worse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At last week\u2019s White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner, Trump said nice things about Fitzpatrick at one point during his speech. But he did note he\u2019d like a \u201ccouple more votes\u2026 That\u2019s okay. On occasion, he chose a little independence.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-president-refs-fights-between-nbsp-house-and-senate\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">President refs fights between\u00a0House and Senate<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were many intraparty fights among Republicans on Capitol Hill about the big\u00a0beautiful bill. The House and Senate clashed on state and local taxes, energy tax credits, and the price tag of the legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But one of the most significant battles, and the first out of the gate, was whether Republicans should pass Trump\u2019s 2025 legislative wish list in one or two pieces of legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Republicans strongly favored one, while the Senate GOP was partial to two. Republican senators made the case for passing one reconciliation bill focused on border security and then moving on to the more complicated issue of extending the tax cuts. Trump initially went back and forth as congressional leaders lobbied him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bessent said some Republicans on Capitol Hill were advocating for three or four reconciliation bills. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ways and Means Committee Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jason-smith\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"3873\">Jason Smith<\/a> (R-MO) repeatedly said the two-bill approach wouldn\u2019t work. He said he told Scalise, \u201cNo way\u2026 I won\u2019t stand for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scalise warned Bessent that unless there was one big bill, the chances of passing the second were less than 50%. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Grover Norquist, head of the Americans for Tax Reform, said that \u201call the grownups wanted one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their rationale was simple: There were going to be enticements that lawmakers liked, as well as controversial spending reductions. The candy and the spinach had to go together. Moreover, House Republican leaders wanted as much time as possible for people to feel the benefits of the legislation \u2014 and that meant one bill cleared by the summer of 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senators countered that it would be better to put points on the board and deal with the tax component later. After all, they said, the tax cuts weren\u2019t going to expire until the end of 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The House ended up winning over the president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview, Senate Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"178\">John Thune<\/a> recounted how Trump relayed his ultimate decision. The South Dakota Republican said Trump sent him a long text explaining why one was better than two.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt will be glamorous,\u201d Thune quoted Trump\u2019s text, adding the president used a lot of capital letters and exclamation marks in his message.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-white-house-team-mobilizes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The White House team mobilizes<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When James Braid needs a boost, he goes straight to the Marlboro Reds. And he burned them by the packful during last summer to flip members of Congress into voting yes for Trump\u2019s big beautiful bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braid, the White House director of legislative affairs, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair, and Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"7658\">JD Vance<\/a> formed the tip of the spear with Trump, the hand that drove it home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the final week of the debate, \u201cThe Jameses\u201d practically lived on Capitol Hill, strategizing with Vance in his ceremonial Senate office, working the phones, and, when necessary, catching a few minutes of sleep on the floor of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino\u2019s (R-NY) Capitol Hill hideaway office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On June 29, the pair traveled out to Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, for a private meeting with the president, Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO), both champions of the bill, as well as Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-johnson\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2760\">Ron Johnson<\/a> (R-WI), and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rick-scott\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1989\">Rick Scott<\/a> (R-FL), who were skeptical of it. The sitdown lasted several hours, taking place in a room on the club\u2019s second floor, \u201clooking out onto the president\u2019s golf course,\u201d focused solely on cutting an \u201cagreement\u201d for a motion to proceed, according to White House insiders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump played golf before the meeting, personally lobbying Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"230\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY). Paul had criticized the bill over federal debt concerns and agreed to discuss his opposition over a round with the president at the request of the late South Carolina Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"737\">Lindsey Graham<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hours later, the Senate passed the motion to proceed, allowing the bill to move to the floor for official debate, at which point things got even tougher.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn the early part of that week, there was a lot of controversy and frustration in the Senate Republican conference,\u201d Braid told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cThe effort had secured the support of most everybody but certain holdouts and defeated a bunch of amendments that would have struck out portions of that agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday night, July 1, was \u201ctouch and go.\u201d The entire White House Office of Legislative Affairs Senate team, joined by Blair and Braid, faced a major problem: the Senate was still one vote shy of passage in Vance\u2019s Senate office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1302\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) had voted yes on the motion to proceed, she was still a hard no on the overall bill alongside Paul, and Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thom-tillis\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"973\">Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-NC). <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lisa-murkowski\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2303\">Lisa Murkowski<\/a> (R-AK) was waving red flags over changes to Medicaid funding, leading Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Blair, and Braid to broker a deal that offered generous Medicaid funding for the state of Alaska. The trio got the green light from Trump and managed to bring Murkowski on board.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later that day, the Senate passed the bill, with Vance casting the tiebreaking vote. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Braid recalled heading home, taking a shower, and immediately heading back to the House, where some Republicans were up in arms over the Senate\u2019s changes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House legislative affairs staffers were able to earn the support of most Republicans but identified some two-dozen House Freedom Caucus members who would require the president\u2019s personal touch to vote yes. The president has referred to that group as the \u201c3 o\u2019clock caucus\u201d because he had to call them in the middle of the night to sway them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Trump didn\u2019t sleep for those two days,\u201d Braid recounted. \u201cHe was checking in every half hour to 45 minutes, getting updates and talking to people and moving guys.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-trump-s-quandary-on-planned-parenthood\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump\u2019s quandary on Planned Parenthood<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump faced a dilemma: Anti-abortion groups and lawmakers wanted the big beautiful bill to include a ban on Medicaid dollars for groups such as Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue was on the\u00a0agenda at a\u00a0White House meeting with Trump, chief of staff <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susie-wiles\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11678\">Susie Wiles<\/a>, Blair, House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"7043\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA), and Thune.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Polling showed that adding language that \u201cdefunded Planned Parenthood\u201d was a poison pill, according to a person familiar.\u00a0The fear was that Democrats would use the issue during the 2026 midterm cycle to hammer vulnerable Republicans in House districts that the GOP needed to win, similar to their success during the 2022 midterm cycle after <em>Roe v. Wade <\/em>was overturned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump, who indirectly helped the fall of <em>Roe <\/em>by getting three conservative justices to the Supreme Court in his first term, thought abortion was a political loser for his party. But if Republicans didn\u2019t address the matter, conservatives could withhold their support and torpedo the overall bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s reluctance was relayed by Johnson to\u00a0anti-abortion and pro-family groups. Their response was clear: not acceptable. Some members of the House Republican Conference were also uncomfortable with doing nothing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson, whom many\u00a0anti-abortion\u00a0groups have championed as a hero, subsequently\u00a0told Trump that defunding Planned Parenthood had to be included in the legislation. The president listened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anti-abortion groups, however, weren\u2019t leaving anything to chance. They pressured Republican lawmakers to follow through with defunding Planned Parenthood. It was a multi-pronged strategy that paid off, with a catch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than 150 anti-abortion groups, including Students for Life and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, rallied on Capitol Hill in late March 2025. They also <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/sbaprolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/march-26-send-date-defund-planned-parenthood-coalition-letter-79.pdf\">sent letters<\/a> to members of Congress connecting defunding \u201cBig Abortion\u201d to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elon-musk\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1412\">Elon Musk\u2019s<\/a> efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency to trim the federal budget.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\">Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser speaks during an anti-abortion rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP25086670111787_3c9343.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser speaks during an anti-abortion rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 27, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe felt very strongly that, given the massive turnout of voters of faith that made the 2024 victory possible, that it was absolutely critical that we achieve some significant progress on the life issue in the first year of Trump\u2019s second term,\u201d said Ralph\u00a0Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. \u201cAnd in the absence of a judicial vacancy or some other legislative vehicle that was going to have to be in the tax cut bill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe were not reticent about making that view known to both the White House and congressional Republican leaders,\u201d\u00a0Reed added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anti-abortion\u00a0groups also traveled to states and congressional districts to make their case in the spring of 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America won a public victory when Johnson promised to make sure the bill would\u00a0\u201credirect funds away from big abortion and to federally qualified health centers,\u201d\u00a0at its April gala. That was the first time, at least in public, that Republican leadership was explicit on their Planned Parenthood strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next month, the group\u00a0targeted key House members with over 3,300 constituent calls to their D.C. and district offices, as well as organized more than 183 pro-life legislators in 49 states,\u00a0to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/sbaprolife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/State-Legislature-Defunding-Letter.pdf\">send a letter<\/a> to Republican\u00a0leaders to defund Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were also regular coalition meetings between multiple\u00a0anti-abortion\u00a0groups, according to Susan B. Anthony\u2019s political communications director, Kelsey Pritchard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it could have blown up at any time, especially at the beginning,\u201d Pritchard said of the work the groups did. \u201cIt was never inevitable. It was never like for sure that we were going to be able to do this because it hadn\u2019t been done before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their efforts proved somewhat successful, fulfilling a goal decades in the making.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legislation defunding Planned Parenthood would pass in the House on May 22, 2025. But in the Senate,\u00a0anti-abortion\u00a0leaders saw their victory stripped to a one-year funding ban amid concern that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough could toss the House language because it would violate budget reconciliation rules. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On June 30, 2025, MacDonough allowed the one-year defunding provision to stay in the measure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Senate, in our opinion, negotiated with itself,\u201d said\u00a0Kristi Hamrick, vice president of media and policy for Students for Life of America.\u00a0\u201cIn the past, the parliamentarian had liked or been amenable to the idea of one year. Well, the parliamentarian\u2019s advice has been ignored in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Penny Nance,\u00a0CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, said she was disappointed with the parliamentarian\u2019s ruling and also confused about what it meant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf it were appropriate for one year, logically, I think it would also have been appropriate for 10 years, and because we don\u2019t know what logic she used to arrive at the decision, we don\u2019t exactly know how to go back at it again for budget reconciliation in the future,\u201d said Nance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students for Life, like many other groups, made their displeasure clear to Thune\u2019s office and pressured Senate Republicans to challenge the parliamentarian\u2019s ruling. Eventually, they called for MacDonough to be removed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But experts claimed the Senate operates on precedent. In 2017, the parliamentarian\u00a0advised that language temporarily defunding abortion did not meet the so-called Byrd rule requirements, requiring a 60-vote majority to pass as Republicans attempted to repeal Obamacare. Republicans back then moved forward with defunding Planned Parenthood, but it did not meet the 60-vote threshold.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025, Republicans met with the parliamentarian to propose a 10-year moratorium on Planned Parenthood receiving federal reimbursements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy understanding is that the vibes in the room from the questions the parliamentarian was asking could not be answered as to\u00a0exactly the\u00a0budgetary consequences,\u201d said\u00a0Bill Hoagland, the senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans scaled down the timeline to one year, and the provisions expired earlier this month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat would not have the same impact on access to care that it\u00a0would if it had been a 10-year depletion of funding,\u201d said Hoagland. \u201cAnd so this really was a decision by Republicans not to press the issue going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although it wasn\u2019t the exact time length they wanted,\u00a0anti-abortion\u00a0groups touted their victory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf course, we wanted it to be 10 years,\u201d\u00a0Pritchard said. \u201cAt the same time, we knew we had to operate within the realities and processes of the Senate, and it had never been done before. And so, we kept up the enthusiasm and the energy to get one year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/lgreen\/\" data-type=\"mediapress_author\" data-id=\"12545\">Lauren Green<\/a> contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Members of the <\/em>Washington Examiner\u2019s<em> staff who have worked on this series over the past several months are Haris Alic, Hailey Bullis, Bob Cusack, Christian Datoc, James A. Downs, Gabrielle M. Etzel, Lauren Green, Zach Halaschak, Chris Irvine, Joseph Lawler, Naomi Lim, Maydeen Merino, Callie Patteson, Mabinty Quarshie, Samantha-Jo Roth, David Sivak, and Ramsey Touchberry<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s tactics helped pass the Big Beautiful Bill<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4378,"featured_media":2637646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-8.png?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4762,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2637645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-legislation","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-8.png?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4378"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2637645"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2637649,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2637645\/revisions\/2637649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2637646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2637645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2637645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2637645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}