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New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismisses calls for Iran war powers resolution: ‘Getting the cart ahead of the horse'
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) argued Tuesday that it's too early for Congress to consider legislation that aims to prevent President Trump from using military force against Iran. 'I think we're getting the cart ahead of the horse here,' Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill when asked if he would allow a war powers resolution to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. 'This is something that's happened the last few days,' the South Dakota Republican said of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. 'I think the president is perfectly within his authority in the steps that he has taken.' Advertisement Thune argued it was too early to debate a war powers resolution in Congress. Should the conflict 'extend for some period of time,' Thune added, 'there could be a more fulsome discussion about what the role of Congress should be and whether or not we need to take action.' Thune indicated that his preferred outcome would be for Iran to accept Trump's demand that it scrap its nuclear program. Advertisement 'Let's hope and pray for the best outcome, the best solution, and in my view that would be Iran coming to the negotiating table and agreeing to end their nuclear program,' he said. The Trump administration maintains that it has not been helping Israel carry out its latest military operations against Iran, but the president's rhetoric against the Islamic Republic and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei notably heightened on Tuesday, and he's reportedly being urged by Israel to assist in destroying Tehran's below-ground Fordow nuclear facility. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced legislation on Monday that he hopes will 'prevent war with Iran.' 'It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States,' Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. 'I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict.' Advertisement 'The American people have no interest in sending servicemembers to fight another forever war in the Middle East,' he added. 'This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation's men and women in uniform into harm's way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.' Several Democratic lawmakers put forward legislation to prevent Trump from going to war with Iran. BERNO/SIPA/Shutterstock In the House, members of the far-left 'Squad' of Democratic lawmakers have endorsed companion legislation being sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). 'The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn't attacked the United States,' Massie said in a statement. 'Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran.' Advertisement 'The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war,' the Kentucky Republican added. 'Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.' Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and Ayanna Presley (D-Mass.) are among more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers backing Massie's war powers push. No Republican members of Congress have co-signed Massie's legislation.
Coin Geek
12-06-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
Senate stablecoin bill advances amid cries of betrayal, corruption
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The U.S. Senate is moving forward with its stablecoin legislation despite accusations that Senate leadership reneged on promises to allow an open amendment process. On June 11, the Senate voted 68-30 to invoke cloture on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, legislation intended to regulate the use of so-called 'payment stablecoins.' The vote, which mirrored the 68-30 cloture vote conducted last month, approves the revised text filed by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on June 9. GENIUS will now head to the Senate floor for further debate and the extremely unlikely possibility of further amending. A final vote could come later this week but appears more likely to occur early next week. On June 9, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) filed an 'amendment tree' that required unanimous support for any additional amendments to GENIUS, effectively blocking further revisions to the text. Senators who were opposed to GENIUS as written had little recourse beyond engaging in performative (and ultimately impotent) outrage on Wednesday. The brief debate preceding the vote saw Republican senators urge their colleagues to vote 'aye' to ensure proper regulation of stablecoin activity. However, many Democrats railed against President Donald Trump's ever-widening crypto venture portfolio, which includes the USD1 stablecoin issued by the Trump-controlled decentralized finance (DeFi) project World Liberty Financial (WLF). Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who has introduced legislation to limit Trump's ability to profit off his digital asset ventures, referenced the Abu Dhabi state-run investment firm MGX buying $2 billion worth of USD1 in early May. Merkley noted that two weeks later, Trump was in Abu Dhabi, where he announced he was waiving restrictions on the export of advanced U.S.-made AI chips. Merkley called this apparent quid pro quo 'the Mount Everest of corruption.' Merkley said the president has 'planted a 'government for sale' sign on the White House lawn and individuals and foreign governments are funneling money into his pocket and his family's pocket in order to gain access and influence.' Merkley also took Thune to task for blocking GENIUS amendments after promising an open amendment process. Merkley pointed out that senators had voted on earlier motions to advance GENIUS with the understanding that their amendments would be properly considered. Merkley called Thune's about-turn 'a breach of trust that is simply wrong in this body.' Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO), who'd filed a GENIUS amendment to prevent elected officials from issuing their digital assets, lamented the fact that some of his Democratic colleagues planned to vote in favor of GENIUS despite the fact that there was 'not a single amendment voted on as part of this bill.' Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a GENIUS co-sponsor, told her colleagues that while she found the president's crypto ventures 'extremely unhelpful' and she 'would love to ban' his activity, her desire for stablecoin regulation was greater than her disdain for Trump's efforts to line his pockets with crypto cash. The obligatory Tether reference The lack of amendments to GENIUS leaves a rather large loophole in place for 'foreign' stablecoin issuers like Tether—the issuer of the market-leading USDT stablecoin—who wish to issue their tokens in the U.S. while avoiding the regulatory restrictions imposed on domestic issuers. GENIUS only requires foreign issuers to comply with law enforcement requests, while it's left up to the Treasury Secretary to designate a foreign issuer as non-compliant. Moreover, foreign issuers can get a pass if the Treasury concludes that the jurisdiction in which the issuer is based has 'a regulatory and supervisory regime … comparable to' the regime envisioned by GENIUS. In some unfortunate timing for GENIUS supporters, Monday saw the Department of Justice (DoJ) file charges against Russian national Iurii Gugnin for using his fintech firm Evita to launder over half a billion dollars on behalf of sanctioned Russian individuals and entities. Gugnin came to the U.S. mere months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent imposition of economic sanctions on Russia by the U.S. and other Western nations. The funds Gugnin laundered allowed Russian firms to acquire prohibited technologies, including those used by Russia's state-owned nuclear operator. As the DoJ notes, during an 18-month period ending January 2025, 'Gugnin used Evita to facilitate the movement of approximately $530 million through the U.S. financial system, most of which he received in the form of a cryptocurrency stablecoin known as Tether.' Tether representatives told the Wall Street Journal that the company 'unequivocally condemns the illegal use of stablecoins.' Nonetheless, USDT remains the digital asset of choice for criminals worldwide. The same day that Gugnin was charged, a different branch of the DoJ reported guilty pleas by five individuals who admitted laundering funds for a Cambodia-based scam operator. The scammers convinced their U.S. victims to convert their dollars into USDT and forward it to the Bahamas-based Deltec Bank, one of Tether's early banking partners. On June 5, the DoJ filed a civil forfeiture complaint against North Korean nationals who tricked U.S. firms into hiring them for remote work. The North Koreans were paid primarily via stablecoins, including USDT and USDC, the latter issued by Circle (NASDAQ: CRCL), which were duly laundered and forwarded to the North Korean government. Back to the top ↑ Trump family flying too close to the crypto Sun? GENIUS Act's forward progress came the day after two House of Representatives committees advanced their chamber's digital asset market structure legislation (CLARITY). All told, there have been worse weeks for U.S. crypto supporters, but not everyone is convinced the legislative tide has officially turned. On Wednesday, Decrypt published an article featuring quotes from anonymous 'top crypto lobbyists' expressing pessimism about market structure legislation's chances of passing Congress this year. One lobbyist said, 'Anyone who disagrees is either delusional or stupid.' The cause for this concern? 'The president's business dealings in crypto while in office.' Singling out the Trump family's WLF, the lobbyist claimed, 'These people, they hate us. They announce a new product every time there's a key vote.' The lobbyist noted that while the House committees were marking up CLARITY, Eric Trump was tweeting about USD1's trading volume hitting new highs, while Don Jr. was retweeting WLF tweets about similar USD1 accomplishments. As if on cue, Wednesday saw Eric tweet his thanks to a tweet by Justin Sun, founder of the TRON blockchain. Sun's tweet celebrated the first minting of USD1 on TRON. Sun's tweet also brought praise from WLF's official X account, which thanked Sun for his support. Sun is a highly controversial figure who was appointed a WLF advisor after purchasing $75 million worth of WLF's governance token WLFI. Sun also purchased over $19 million worth of the $TRUMP memecoin, making him the token's top holder and ensuring his spot at last month's Trump-hosted gala dinner for the 220 biggest $TRUMP whales. Amidst all these Trump crypto cash transfers, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 'paused' its civil complaint against Sun. In fairness, the SEC has halted nearly all its civil litigation against digital asset operators, but as they say, the optics here aren't great. And they could get much worse. On June 10, Forbes reported on a letter sent to a New York court last month by an independent monitor into the Trump Organization, the umbrella group for the president's business operations. The letter noted a Trump Organization entity (DT Marks LLC) that handled its WLF dealings and that 'a portion of this entity would be sold to a third party.' The letter offered no hints as to who/what this third party might be, nor what size of a stake in DT Marks they may have acquired. Forbes theorized that Sun may have been the third party, and while it offered no proof to support this theory, neither the White House, the Trump Org, WLF, nor Sun himself seemed eager to respond to Forbes' inquiries. Back to the top ↑ Bullish on IPOs In non-Trump stablecoin news, Circle closed out Wednesday's trading on the Nasdaq up 10.7% to $117.20 after nearly dipping below $100 on Tuesday. The GENIUS vote may have put some wind in Circle's sails, but Wednesday's close was well off the $138 peak the stock enjoyed last Friday, its second day of trading on the Nasdaq. Circle's impressive debut had already convinced the Winklevoss twins to file IPO paperwork for their Gemini digital asset exchange, and now rival exchange Bullish is getting in on this action. On June 10, the Financial Times broke the news that the Peter Thiel-backed Bullish Global had confidentially filed its IPO paperwork with the SEC 'in recent weeks.' Confidential filings allow companies to get the IPO ball rolling without having to immediately disclose their financial data to the public. Jefferies Financial Group will act as lead underwriter, confirming February's rumors that Bullish had engaged Jefferies to explore the possibility of a public floatation. A 2021 effort to go public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) failed to launch as rising interest rates did a number on stock valuations, and the onset of 'crypto winter' the following year reduced investors' appetite for digital asset firms (Circle also cancelled its original IPO plans that year). Bullish is ranked 12th in terms of trading volume on CoinGecko's list of centralized exchanges (three places ahead of Gemini). It remains to be seen if the Kraken exchange might now accelerate its own IPO plans. In March, Bloomberg reported that the company was targeting a Q1 2026 listing, but who knows what the vibe around digital assets might be by then? Particularly if the Trumps continue to expand their burgeoning crypto interests. Back to the top ↑ CFPB director accuses Trump of 'dismantling' enforcement efforts On June 10, Reuters reported that Cara Petersen, acting enforcement director at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), had resigned in protest of the Trump administration's efforts to hobble the agency's work. Petersen issued a scathing email on her way out the door, saying the Trump administration 'has no intention to enforce the law in any meaningful way.' Petersen, a 15-year CFPB veteran, said, 'Never before have I seen the ability to perform our core mission so under attack.' Petersen said it was 'devastating to see the bureau's enforcement function being dismantled through thoughtless reductions in staff, inexplicable dismissals of cases, and terminations of negotiated settlements that let wrongdoers off the hook.' The CFPB has been under attack by big tech firms for the past couple of years, with crypto execs like Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) CEO Brian Armstrong erroneously accusing the CFPB of being 'unconstitutional.' Armstrong's view may have been influenced by Coinbase's notoriously poor customer service, which has led to over 8,200 customer complaints filed against Coinbase with the CFPB. Formed in 2010 in the wake of the global financial crisis, the CFPB has delivered nearly $20 billion in relief to U.S. consumers. However, since Trump was sworn into office in January, the CFPB has been dropping cases almost as fast as the SEC dropped its pursuit of crypto firms. Less than a week before Trump's inauguration, two tech sector lobby groups filed suit against the CFPB, challenging its ability to scrutinize fintech companies. By April, both the House and Senate had revoked the CFPB's ability to monitor tech firms that process digital payments. Proponents of legislation like GENIUS and CLARITY claim the bills will establish sorely needed guardrails that will help protect consumers. However, the federal government is systematically defanging nearly all the agencies that are meant to enforce those guardrails. The CFPB is being neutered, the SEC appears disinterested in policing crypto, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)—which under CLARITY will be given the primary role of regulating crypto—is still awaiting confirmation of its new chairman. But even when Brian Quintenz finally takes his seat at the head of the CFTC table, he'll find four empty chairs where commissioners are supposed to be sitting. There's no question that crypto operators love their newfound freedom from oversight. Whether their customers find the new environment to their liking is very much an open question. Back to the top ↑ Watch: Breaking down solutions to blockchain regulation hurdles title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate GOP Sorts Out Which Poison Pills It Can Swallow To Pass House's ‘Big Beautiful' Bill
Senate Republicans began the work this week of deciphering what exactly House Republicans' have stuffed into President Trump's massive spending package — and what elements of it they can live with. One thing is clear: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Republican leadership have their work cut out for them. And in a few key cases, senators might soon find themselves caught between what Trump demands of them, and what's good for their reelection prospects. Similar to the competing pain points that surfaced among members of the House Republican conference, several Senate Republicans have gone on the record to object in various ways to either the bill's extensive gutting of social safety net programs or — on the other end of the spectrum — the extent to which it will add to the deficit, a Republican sin many in the party have built their brands opposing. At this point, it looks almost inevitable that senators will make changes to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which House Republicans drafted after weeks of intraparty quarrels. That means the House will have to vote on the bill again. Any major shifts could backfire, breaking the delicate balance on which House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) built the bill. Thune can only lose three votes from his caucus and still pass the legislation. Here are four places in which Republicans are likely to have to cut a deal, potentially tweaking just how destructive the final bill is. Several Senate Republicans have been publicly declaring that they are opposed to the ways in which the bill currently cuts social safety net programs, while, in most cases, still suggesting there are some cuts they'd support. Several Republican senators, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), have already indicated they won't get behind certain kinds of cuts to Medicaid and other programs, which are widely utilized by their constituents. 'I am not going to vote for Medicaid benefit cuts,' Hawley told reporters in the Senate basement in March. 'Work requirements, I'm totally fine with. But 21% of Missourians either get Medicaid or CHIP so I am not going to vote for benefit cuts for people who I think are qualified.' Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) has made similar statements, telling reporters on Wednesday that he is ok with freezing the provider taxes House Republicans took up in their bill but not cutting them back. Meanwhile Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who recently announced a gubernatorial bid in his state, has said he is opposed to the way in which the legislation cuts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The House bill includes deep cuts to that program, including a cost-sharing plan that would require states to cover a portion of SNAP benefit costs; the benefits are currently completely covered by the federal government. 'Everybody that's going to be in state government is going to be concerned about it,' Tuberville said, according to Politico. 'I don't know whether we can afford it or not.' In recent days, some Senate Republicans have also indicated that they are exploring ideas to slash what they claim is 'waste, fraud and abuse' in Medicare —- despite President Donald Trump's previous vows to 'love and cherish' the program and promises not to touch it. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Thursday said that Republicans are looking at changes to Medicare, telling The Hill there are 'a number' of reforms he'd like to see to programs maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 'I think anything that can be — that's waste, fraud and abuse are open to, obviously, discussions,' Thune also told reporters of Medicare. Meanwhile Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) took a stronger stance, saying Republicans shouldn't be afraid of cutting waste from the program. 'Why don't we go after that? I think we should,' Cramer told NBC. 'Some people are afraid of the topics; I'm not,' he added, noting that they would focus on waste, fraud and abuse. That phrase — 'waste, fraud and abuse' — has, of course, become the go-to terminology for Republicans who want to justify their cuts to largely popular programs, despite the fact that rooting out supposed 'waste, fraud and abuse' roughly translates to hidden, hard-for-the-public-to-understand cuts. This new proposal, too, is already stirring some pushback. 'What a terrible idea. We should not be touching Medicare,' Hawley told NBC. Sens. John Curtis (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tillis and Murkowski have warned leadership about provisions of the bill that would gut Biden-era clean energy tax credits passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. The House bill's cuts were largely added to the House bill at the last minute in order to appease House Freedom Caucus members who were threatening to sink the bill on the House floor unless leadership made more cuts. They include plans to repeal residential energy-focused credits and several electric vehicle-related credits — both used by individual taxpayers — as well as almost immediately phasing out the clean electricity production and investment tax credit that aims to boost zero-emission electricity production from industry, utilities and manufacturing. 'I want to make sure that we are making good on the investments that we have made with those tax credits,' Murkowski told reporters in the Senate basement on Wednesday when asked about the tax credits. Meanwhile, Tillis — one of the most vulnerable Republicans in 2026 — on Wednesday indicated he wanted to see negotiations around the requirements and duration for the programs in question. He also specifically called out the foreign entity restrictions House Republicans put in the bill, which experts described to TPM as a 'bad faith' and 'unworkable' provision that Republicans say will prevent nations like China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from having access to the tax subsidies. Tillis described them as 'a big problem.' 'As I understand it, the level of granularity proposed by the House renders the programs inoperative,' Tillis told reporters on his way up to a floor vote. While several Senate Republicans are opposing cuts to programs that are crucial for their states, others, on the other end of the spectrum, are calling for more spending cuts than what are included in the House Republican package. (These Republicans have, lately, found a surprising ally in the president's erstwhile advisor, Elon Musk.) Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) are loudly asking for deeper cuts, saying they are worried about the impact of the megabill on the deficit. 'I refuse to accept $2 trillion-plus deficits as far as the eye can see as the new normal. We have to address that problem, and unfortunately this bill doesn't do so,' Johnson, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said Wednesday during an ABC News interview. Paul has made a career of libertarian budget hawkery, and is objecting, in particular, to a provision of the bill that raises the debt ceiling, something that must happen this summer in order for the U.S. to avoid default. He has previously indicated he does not believe 'expanding the debt ceiling more than we've ever done it before' is fiscally conservative. 'This will be the greatest increase in the debt ceiling ever, and the GOP owns this now,' Paul told reporters after the House passed their version of the bill.
Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
US Senate may work on Russia sanctions bill this month
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) holds his weekly press conference following the Republican caucus policy luncheon at Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 13, Howard/File Photo WASHINGTON - The Republican leader of the U.S. Senate said on Monday the chamber could begin work this month on a bill imposing stiff sanctions on Russia - and secondary sanctions on countries that trade with Russia - over its war in Ukraine. Majority Leader John Thune said President Donald Trump's administration still hopes for an agreement to end the three-year-old conflict, but the Senate is prepared to help put pressure on Moscow. "We also stand ready to provide President Trump with any tools he needs to get Russia to finally come to the table in a real way," Thune said in a speech opening the Senate. Thune told reporters afterward he has been discussing the sanctions legislation with the White House. The measure would impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. China and India account for about 70% of Russia's international energy business, which helps fund its war effort. The bill, whose lead sponsors are Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, now has at least 82 co-sponsors in the 100-member Senate. Graham said in Kyiv last week he thought the Senate could take up the bill as soon as this week, but Thune did not set that timeframe. "I think right now they're still hopeful they'll be able to strike some sort of a deal. But as you might expect, there's a high level of interest here in the Senate, on both sides of the aisle, and moving on it, and it very well could be something that we would take up in this work period," Thune said. He was referring to the weeks before lawmakers leave Washington ahead of the July 4 Independence Day recess. "We're working with the White House to try and ensure that what we do and when we do it, it works well with the negotiations that they've got under way," Thune said. Graham has said the legislation would impose "bone-breaking sanctions" on Russia and its customers if Moscow does not engage in talks, or if it initiates another effort undermining Ukraine's sovereignty after any peace deal. The measure is a rare example of bipartisanship in the bitterly divided U.S. Congress. Trump appears to be growing increasingly impatient with what he has suggested might be foot-dragging over a wider agreement with Moscow to end the war. To become law, the legislation must pass the Senate and House of Representatives and be signed by Trump. Trump has said he worries more sanctions would hurt prospects for a peace deal. There has been no indication from the House's Republican leaders of any plan to allow a vote on the sanctions package. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House GOPers Claim Bill Will ‘Eventually' Pass After Trump Bullying. But Not Everything Is ‘Hunky Dory'
President Donald Trump attended the closed-door House Republican conference meeting Tuesday morning in an attempt to convince two obstinate factions to get on board with the party's reconciliation package. One group of members has been calling for steeper spending cuts; another group of largely blue-state Republicans has been unhappy with leadership's state and local tax offer as well as provisions of the bill that would slash Medicaid. While Trump may have been successful in bullying many members into submission, not all lawmakers who spoke to TPM and the other reporters outside the meeting room projected as much confidence as leadership. House Republican leadership is, of course, hoping to bring the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to a floor vote this week to meet their self-imposed deadline of passing it out of the lower chamber by Memorial Day. A handful of members came out of the meeting indicating they think the President made significant progress with holdouts on both sides of the spectrum. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), the chair of the Main Street Caucus, told reporters Trump made a 'convincing case' behind closed doors. 'I think with the holdouts, he did move them,' Johnson said, later adding that the President's speech 'moved that room.' 'I would say the President's message, fundamentally, is quit monkeying around … we have got to deliver this for the American people,' Johnson told reporters, adding that 'there were a lot of nodding heads in that room.' Despite that note of positivity, the South Dakota Republican did acknowledge that not everything is 'hunky dory' and there is still some work to be done to get everyone on board. 'I don't know that we are there yet, but that was a hugely impactful meeting,' Johnson told reporters in the House basement. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), who was one of the holdouts that tanked the first House Budget Committee vote last Friday, also told reporters, 'eventually I believe it will pass.' Norman, another right-winger calling for steeper cuts, wouldn't directly tell reporters if the President was successful in changing his mind following the closed-door session. 'He did a great job,' Norman said, adding that the President's 'off the cuff' speech was 'one of the greatest speeches' he's ever heard. 'He said the right things,' Norman added. Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) signaled he is still undecided. 'It's like an NBA ball game, boys,' Burchett told reporters. 'Wait till the last two minutes and watch it. And we're about at two minutes and 30 seconds.' Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), part of the group of blue-state members who have been pushing for a higher cap on the state-and-local-tax deduction that they view as crucial to their reelection prospects, said he remained unmoved, despite Trump calling him out by name inside the room. 'While I respect the president, I'm not going to budge,' Lawler told reporters, according to Politico. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) confirmed that the President did mention Lawler by name during the meeting. '[Trump] encouraged him that he won his race by a lot. He's going to win again,' Boebert said, adding that the President tried to push the idea that 'this isn't political. This is about doing what's right by the American people.' Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) also told reporters he was still a 'no' following the meeting. However, Massie said he thinks Trump 'probably closed the deal in there.' 'If his job was to go in there and convince the Freedom Caucus and the blue-state Republicans, I think he did a good job,' Massie told reporters in the House basement. 'And he made a decent effort at convincing me, directly.' Massie said that Trump called him out individually, but wouldn't get into the specifics of what he said. Others in the room indicated that Trump reportedly called Massie a 'grandstander.' The Kentucky Republican said he was unbothered by the rhetoric as well as Trump's previous calls for Republican candidates to wage primary challenges against him. 'I'm not worried,' Massie told reporters. 'I'm not worried about losing. I'm not worried if I did.' When questioned about why he thinks other House Republicans are unable to say 'no' to Trump, Massie acknowledged it is mostly about their political futures. 'Because some of them want to run for governor, and they need his endorsement,' Massie said. 'And some of them are freshmen who are here because of his endorsement and probably haven't established themselves to get reelected without his endorsement. I don't know. Some of them have never even voted against a post office naming. How are they going to vote against this bill?' As cuts to Medicaid remain one of the biggest contention points between the holdouts, Trump did specifically address the social safety net program during the meeting, according to lawmakers who attended it. 'Don't fuck around with Medicaid,' Trump reportedly told House Republicans, but he, per multiple reports, quickly undercut that point by saying the bill should deal with 'waste, fraud, and abuse' in the program. Boebert told reporters that Trump said to 'leave it alone unless there is waste, fraud and abuse,' as she walked out of the meeting. Trump, in a public press conference, later echoed that line: 'There's tremendous waste, fraud, and abuse,' he claimed. That has become the go-to phrase for Republicans who want to justify their cuts to the largely popular program, despite the fact that rooting out supposed 'waste, fraud and abuse' roughly translates to work requirements and other significant cuts to the program — policies that would lead to millions losing their health care coverage.
