Republicans’ fraught negotiations over the reconciliation bill have become fodder for Democrats campaigning against Trump’s agenda ahead of the 2026 midterms.
House Republicans are in the throes of making tradeoffs to appease the various — often opposing — factions in the party. “If you do more on SALT, you have to find more in savings,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters after a meeting between fiscal hawks and blue-state Republicans demanding a more generous state and local tax deduction.
That was after House GOP leaders suggested moving up the timeline for Medicaid work requirements, which currently are set to go into effect in 2029, to make up for the revenue that would be lost with a larger maximum SALT deduction.