The republican leader of the Senate, John Thune, reiterated that “the failure is not an option”, since he works to obtain online the Megabill that advances on the legislative agenda of President Donald Trump, especially in the midst of the efforts of Elon Musk to capillary the bill.
“This is a team effort, and everyone will row in the same direction to carry this through the finish line. Failure is not an option, and we intend to deliver, together with the president of the US people in the things that he promised to do and that we promised to do in terms of the agenda,” Thune told journalists after he left a meeting with Trump in the White House on Thursday.
As things are today, Thune can afford to lose only three of its members of the Republican party to approve the package, and at this time, it has more members than that express serious doubts about the bill.
The legislation approved by the Chamber extends Trump Tax cuts 2017, increases spending for military and border security, while making some cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and other assistance programs. You could also add $ 3 billion to the deficit during the next decade, according to an analysis on Wednesday of the Budget Office of the Non -Party Congress.
As the Senate weighs possible changes in the limit of deduction of the state and local tax (salt) as part of the fiscal part of the bill, the Republicans of the Blue states chamber already threaten to derail the perspectives of the bill.
The leader of the republican majority of the Senate, John Thune, together with Senator Mike Crapo, prepares to talk to journalists after meeting with President Trump in the White House in Washington, on June 4, 2025.
Jim LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/ShuttersTock
“Let’s be clear, without salt, without treatment,” said New York Republican Mike Lawler on Wednesday in an X publication.
The New York representative, Nick Lalota, is on the same page, publishing in X: “Without salt. Without treatment. Really.”
The bill with the past in the House of Representatives increases the deduction limit of state and local taxes for the presentation of the Federal Income Tax from $ 10,000 to $ 40,000 for joint files that earn less than $ 500,000 per year. The limit increases by 1% every year thereafter.
Thune said the changes could reach the salt agreement that was beaten in the house, but the details are not yet clear.
“It would be very, very difficult to get the Senate to vote for what the camera did,” Thune told journalists. “We have just had some people who feel very strongly in this.”
President Mike Johnson said he spoke with the Salt Caucus on the floor during the votes of the Wednesday Chamber Chamber and plans to “communicate” his red line with the Senate leaders.
The salt agreement is “something very delicate and we have to maintain the balance point that we arrived at the house, and it took us almost a year … so I don’t think we can throw that,” Johnson said.
Musk effect on negotiations
Not helping Thune’s effort to influence deserters are frequent posts of Musk pointing to the bill, and Thursday addressed to the president.
Musk Thursday cited a 2013 publication By Trump criticizing the Republicans for extending the debt roof, with the writing of musk, “wise words.”
Previously, Musk criticized the bill, calling him an “unpleasant abomination” and then urged all members of Congress to “kill the bill.”
Elon Musk attends a press conference with the president of the United States at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on May 30, 2025.
Francis Chung/EPA-EFE/Shuttersock
Trump promoted the White House bill on Thursday, brushing Musk’s scathing criticism.
“I am very disappointed because Elon knew the internal workers of this bill better than almost anyone who feels here better than you. I knew everything about it. I had no problem with that. Suddenly I had a problem,” Trump said.
Johnson said he plans to speak directly with Musk on Thursday, one day after the speaker said the billionaire was “completely wrong” in his criticisms of the bill.
Johnson said Musk “seems quite excavated at this time. And I can’t understand the motivation behind this.”
“But I would tell him that what we are delivering in this bill is not only historical tax cuts, but also historical savings. That seems to miss that,” Johnson added.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, at the Oval Office of the White House, on June 5, 2025, in Washington.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Thune said Wednesday that, although he cannot speak with Musk’s motivations for his opposition, he will continue to press for the success of the Senate bill.
On Thursday, Republican Senator Roger Marshall, Republican Senator Roger Marshall, described him as a “laughing conversation for 30 seconds.”
“I was very joking and laughing, and I think he said something positive about Elon appreciated what he did for the country,” said Marshall.
ABC News’ Will Steakin, Mary Bruce, Molly Nagle and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
