Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leaves the Democratic caucus lunch at the U.S. Capitol on March 13, 2025. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
"I know damn well they haven't read the bill, so we’re going to make them," he said.
It’s an oft-unused strategy Schumer and Senate Democrats deployed as part of the pain campaign against Republicans, who have iced them out from having input on the president’s agenda.
SCHUMER FORCES READING OF TRUMP'S ENTIRE 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' AS SENATE BRACES FOR ALL-NIGHTER
Sen. Susan Collins speaking at a Senate Appropriations hearing on Nov. 20, 2024. (Imagn)
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is unlikely to change his mind and vote for final passage – despite Trump bashing him on social media and threatening a primary challenger – unless substantial changes are made to the Medicaid adjustments in the bill.
Tillis further steeled his resolve against the bill when he announced his retirement from Washington at the end of his term, opting against a likely grueling primary battle.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who supported the legislation through the first test, also wants to see real changes to the Medicaid provider tax rate.
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Then there are the fiscal hawks who held the vote hostage on Saturday night as they negotiated with Thune, with the help of Vice President JD Vance, to get an amendment to make changes to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP), which is the amount that the federal government pays for Medicaid to each state.
Changes to FMAP are not popular among most Senate Republicans, save for fiscal hawks looking for steeper cuts in the colossal bill.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
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