Exclusive: Thune plans make-or-break weekend votes on "big, beautiful bill"

Senate Majority Leader John Thune expects to start voting Friday on President Trump's "one big, beautiful bill," he told Axios in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.Why it matters: This would have them voting into the weekend, and it would upend the House's recess next week. But Thune (R-S.D.) is confident Congress will meet its self-imposed July 4 deadline to get a bill on Trump's desk. Driving the news: Thune huddled with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) around midday on Tuesday. Minutes before that meeting, Thune told Axios he hadn't chatted with Johnson recently about the bill, saying "we've kind of had our noses to the grindstone." House leadership has reportedly told people they are worried about being able to pass the Senate's version of the bill. Changes to the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction and Medicaid provider taxes are the biggest concerns.On SALT, Thune said he "knew that would be the last issue to get resolved, which it will be."Zoom in: Thune said Friday was looking more likely for an initial vote than Thursday, setting up the potential for a weekend slog."I think we get on it, and then we will plow through, and we'll get into vote-a-rama and grind it out until — until whenever," the leader said."It's just the nature of the beast at the end."Johnson told House Republicans "not to leave town" this weekend in case the Senate gets a bill passed, Politico reported Tuesday. Zoom out: Thune wouldn't say if he had 51 votes as of Tuesday. Senate and House Republicans continue to air concerns about the bill — from SALT to Medicaid to AI provisions. Thune does not see it necessarily as a bad thing. "Right now, everybody's unhappy on both sides, which tells you we're probably close," Thune said."Nobody wants to give up leverage until you have to finally vote on it," he added.The bottom line: Thune said he's asked Trump to help win over senators."He's been meeting with individual senators, been talking with him on the phone...and he's had them down in smaller groups," Thune said."I feel pretty confident that come the end of the week, the sense of urgency around this that [Trump has] conveyed to a lot of our members is going to be the compelling force that gets on his desk."

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