Republicans Keep Voting For Bills They Say They Don't Like

WASHINGTON — Two weeks aft he formed a decisive vote to walk a sweeping home argumentation bill that cuts Medicaid by astir $1 trillion, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced a bill to repeal immoderate of those cuts.

“Now is nan clip to forestall immoderate early cuts to Medicaid from going into effect,” Hawley said successful a statement.

It sparked insult from nan usually mild-mannered Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who posted connected X: “Just truthful I’m clear… he’s introducing a bill….to repeal nan bill… he voted for….two weeks ago?”

Hawley said he feared nan party's megabill would origin semipermanent harm if nan Medicaid cuts are afloat implemented, but still voted for it because it will present more infirmary money for Missouri successful nan first 4 years.

“You can’t get everything you want successful 1 portion of legislation. I for illustration a batch of what we did. I don’t for illustration immoderate of it,” he told reporters aft unveiling his ain measurement connected Tuesday.

The move represents a inclination successful Congress during President Donald Trump's 2nd term. Republican lawmakers crossed nan ideological spectrum support casting votes successful favour of bills moreover while informing that they’re profoundly flawed and whitethorn require fixing down nan road. In immoderate cases, lawmakers explicitly frighten to ballot “no” connected bills earlier yet folding and voting “yes.”

It isn’t different for lawmakers to backmost authorities they telephone imperfect. But this year, that opposition has go much stark. It comes arsenic Trump has solidified his grasp complete nan GOP base, resulting successful lawmakers increasing progressively leery of crossing him and risking their governmental futures.

Nowhere has that move been much pronounced than pinch the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members person many times threatened to reason bills earlier acquiescing nether pressure from Trump. With Trump's megabill, they complained astir reddish ink: It's expected to adhd $3.3 trillion to nan nationalist indebtedness complete 10 years, according to nan Congressional Budget Office.

“What nan Senate did is unconscionable,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said successful a Rules Committee meeting, vowing that “I’ll ballot against it present and I’ll ballot against it connected nan floor.” He yet voted for that bill, unamended, aft conservatives were told Congress would see early bills to little nan debt.

In nan House, a faction of swing-district Republicans voted for cleanable power cuts successful nan "big, beautiful bill" while voicing their dream that nan Senate would undo them. That didn’t happen, and astir each of them voted for nan legislation regardless.

Across nan Capitol, aft Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, formed different cardinal ballot to o.k. nan megabill, she said she “struggled mightily pinch nan effect connected nan astir susceptible successful this country, erstwhile you look to Medicaid and SNAP,” and called connected nan House to make changes. They didn’t. The House passed it arsenic written and sent it to Trump to go law.

"Do I for illustration this bill? No. But I tried to return attraction of Alaska’s interests,” Murkowski told NBC News aft nan Senate ballot earlier this month.

“But I know, I cognize that successful galore parts of nan country, location are Americans that are not going to beryllium advantaged by this bill. I don’t for illustration that,” she added.

In different case, Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., who represents a battleground territory pinch a high stock of Medicaid recipients, threatened to ballot against nan full Senate measure if it maintained nan steeper cuts to nan program.

“I will not support a last measure that eliminates captious backing streams our hospitals trust on, including supplier taxes and authorities directed payments,” he said successful a statement, urging nan Senate to “stick to nan Medicaid provisions” successful nan earlier House type of nan bill; “otherwise, I will ballot no.”

Valadao’s petition was ignored. Five days later he voted for nan Senate measure erstwhile it returned to nan House, securing last passage. (His agency didn’t respond to queries astir nan contradiction.)

In nan end, conscionable 3 Republicans who expressed concerns astir Medicaid voted against nan bill: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who had conscionable announced he wouldn’t activity re-election, arsenic good arsenic Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick R-Pa., who are group to look reliable races successful adjacent years midterms.

And Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who consistently voted against nan megabill passim nan process complete shortage concerns, is now facing nan threat of a Trump-backed superior challenge.

A akin inclination occurred connected nan $9 cardinal package of spending cuts to NPR, PBS and overseas assistance that passed Congress this week and was sent to Trump’s desk. In nan run-up to nan votes, aggregate Republicans expressed superior concerns pinch nan constituent of nan bill, its deference to nan executive branch and nan harm it could do to bipartisan dealmaking connected authorities backing if 1 broadside tin undo nan parts it doesn’t for illustration connected a party-line basis.

“I fishy we’re going to find retired location are immoderate things that we’re going to regret. Some 2nd and 3rd bid effects. And I fishy that erstwhile we do we’ll person to travel backmost and hole it,” said Tillis, earlier voting successful favour of nan bill.

Tillis told NBC News that he was “trying to person a affirmative position astir really this rescission is going to beryllium implemented” and that if he’s unsatisfied it will alteration his cognition to early rescission bills.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., nan chair of nan Armed Services Committee, said he was troubled that Congress wasn't detailing which programs were trim and deferring to nan White House.

“It concerns maine — arsenic possibly approaching a disregard for nan law responsibilities of nan legislative branch nether Article I,” said Wicker, who voted for nan bill. “And successful this business it will magnitude to nan House and Senate fundamentally saying: We concede that determination voluntarily to nan executive branch.”