'Get serious': GOP senator sends party stern message as megabill deadline looms

President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July deadline for Congress to pass his "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" hit another roadblock Wednesday after Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who remains among a few Republicans who have not yet pledged to support the budget reconciliation package, told Politico the meeting the deadline was “a stretch.”

“I don’t mind the President and Senator Thune saying, okay, we’ve got to get this done by July 4,” Johnson said. “I think that’s a stretch, I think we have a lot of outstanding issues, but setting that deadline is concentrating everybody’s efforts.”

Considered Trump’s signature domestic policy bill, the megabill would make the tax cuts implemented during Trump’s first term permanent, while at the same time, make significant cuts to social programs like food assistance and Medicaid. Projected to cost $4.2 trillion over ten years, some Republicans, like Johnson, have withheld their support, demanding stronger commitments to reducing the federal deficit.

Johnson met with Trump privately on Monday, Politico reported, as well as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and despite assurances that deficit reduction was still a priority, said he still wasn’t sold.

“I think the main sticking point is… what’s the forcing mechanism to actually realize those savings, to enact them?” Johnson said.

With a few Republican holdouts on the spending bill remaining, and with the party’s slim Senate majority of 53-47, the bill can afford no more than three defections to reach a simple majority, required by the bill for passage instead of the typical 60-vote threshold due to rules around reconciliation bills.

Johnson noted, however, that he believes he’s gotten Trump's attention, and that further negotiations may win his favor.

“I’ve got everybody’s attention,” he said. “Coming down to crunch time – they realize I’m serious, so they need to get serious.”