Checking The Boxes: Senate lawmakers are racing the clock to pass the “Big, Beautiful Bill”

Despite the hiccups, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he will meet the July 4th deadline for the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

There are several differences between his version and the House bill, but he tells his colleagues that the Senate version checks a lot of important boxes.

“In addition to providing farmers and ranchers with tax relief, our bill updates the farm safety net to address some of the challenges farmers and ranchers have been facing, and increases reference prices for every covered commodity, and makes these prices more responsive to market conditions in coming years, and increases crop insurance coverage and affordability, including for farmers just starting out. It supports livestock producers by making existing programs more responsive to drought and by funding prevention of animal diseases that can devastate livestock.”

However, lawmakers on the other side of the aisle argue that the bill will be costly to taxpayers. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says the math is flawed with the cost-saving measures and warns it will hurt the middle class.