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Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is reaching for a last-minute agreement between those in his party worried about the bill’s reductions to Medicaid and his most conservative flank, which wants even steeper cuts. At the same time House Speaker Mike Johnson has signaled more potential problems ahead, warning the Senate package could run into trouble when it is sent back to the House for a final round of voting.
The Republican leaders have no room to spare, with narrow majorities in both chambers. Thune can lose no more than three Republican senators, and already two — Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who warns people will lose access to Medicaid health care, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who opposes raising the debt limit — have indicated opposition.
- Attention quickly turned to key senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who have also raised concerns about health care cuts, but also a loose coalition of four conservative Republican senators pushing for even steeper reductions.
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