Jennifer Scholtes

I’m really glad the Senate Budget Committee Dems are continuing their tradition of posting Byrd droppings. We started it in 2017, and I think it was the first real public record on this very obscure process. It’s great for shining a light on this whole thing.

The 7 pieces of the House megabill that could succumb to Senate rules, from @jordainc @_BenLeonard_ @YarrowGrace @jamepdx politico.com/news/2025/05/3…

Really nobody tells a "fun" off-policy story like @Brian_Faler Today's special: how Rs are searching for a cool shorthand for their megabill ... Bessent likes “O Triple B.” Others are going with “OBBB” or “TOBBB” or “OBBBA” or “BBB.” “OB3" has been getting some traction,…

Some sort of heated argument between Sens. Chris Murphy and Katie Britt on the floor during votes yesterday

Murkowski - Collins have filed an amendment to the rescissions package:

NEW w/ @JAscholtes @ktullymcmanus: Senate Republicans are praying Susan Collins decides to seek a sixth term next year. But they aren’t making her life easy right now. Collins: "They’re doing what they think is right. I’m doing what I think is right.” politico.com/news/2025/07/1…

Senate appropriators OKed their first funding bill of the year today ... and then had to recess (likely until at least next wk) because so many lawmakers wanted to change their votes. The reason for the drama: the FBI headquarters fight that won't die. @davidalim…

Russ Vought tells senators: “We have not impounded any funding.”

The Senate GOP's version of the megabill violates House fiscal hawks' demands for a balance between spending cuts and tax cuts. Republican senators say: Just vote yes. Via @jordainc @meredithllee @ben_guggenheim politico.com/news/2025/06/2…

Russ Vought's new funding trick: The GAO says it's illegal. GOP lawmakers hate it. But he's pushing forward anyway. @JAscholtes politico.com/news/2025/06/2…

Scooplet in IC: Hospital associations in 13 states sent a letter to Thune and Crapo urging them to "move forward" with the House's "carefully negotiated" provider tax language Comes as Finance will release text today politico.com/newsletters/in… Full letter: politico.com/f/?id=00000197…

Last week Trump privately urged Ron Johnson to talk more positively about the megabill. And he listened. @jordainc explains why the Senate's fiscal hawks are now talking nice. “When the president says, ‘Ron, you’ve been so negative, that’s just not even helpful,’ I want to be…

NEW: I sat down with @GOPMajorityWhip yesterday to talk about Republicans’ reconciliation bill and its fate in the Senate. Read more from my exclusive interview with the Whip: politico.com/live-updates/2…

The Trump administration is paying $13.3 million over the next four years to rent three houses near Mar-a-Lago. In one case, they're paying five times the rate it cost to rent the same house during Trump's first term. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

In case you were wondering, OBBBA is not the first "Bill Act" to pass the House. The "Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act" passed during Trump's first term. congress.gov/bill/115th-con…

“I think what we’re going to have to do with some of these organizations — like the Library of Congress, GAO — is have Congress appoint the head, to make it crystal clear that these are congressional entities,” Sen. Collins told reporters w/ @JAscholtes politico.com/live-updates/2…

NEWS: SALT Republicans and House GOP leaders have a tentative agreement - - $40k cap (no boost for married couples) - 500k income limit - Income cap & deduction grow 1% every year over 10-yr - stays in place after 10-yr Hardliners need to sign off - speaker is working through…

TRUMP to House Republicans just now: “Don’t fuck around with Medicaid.”

NEW w/ @rachaelmbade: Trump plans to tell House Republican hardliners in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that they secured their promised spending cuts in the GOP megabill and they should vote for it without delay GOP Holdouts won’t like that politico.com/live-updates/2…

NEWS: Speaker Mike Johnson will hold a member wide briefing call at 10:45am to walk through megabill changes and leadership's plan to push through the massive legislation by Thursday, per sources Medicaid, IRA tax credit and more still big fights ahead after hard-liners' push