The GOP is calling in the big guns to push President Donald Trump's beloved tax and spending bill over the finish line.
Politico reported on Tuesday that Dr. Mehmet Oz is taking meetings with Senators to try and convince them to support the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act." Trump imposed a deadline of July 4 for passing the bill, and Republican leadership appears eager to meet that deadline.
“He’s a very big asset in getting us across the finish line,” an anonymous White House official told the outlet. “He has a lot of credibility to go into these lawmaker discussions, to talk to them and hear concerns out, and then give the administration’s viewpoint.”
Dr. Oz was a surgeon before he made a name for himself on daytime television on shows such as "Second Opinion with Dr. Oz." He later appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" as a medical expert before eventually moving to his eponymous show, "The Dr. Oz Show," which ran for 13 seasons.
Medicaid provisions in the bill have become one of the key priorities that Dr. Oz is trying to convince Republicans to support. He previously appeared in an interview on Newsmax where he claimed, "There is no scenario, not in this bill, not in anywhere I’ve seen, where we’re not spending more money on Medicaid."
However, it appears that Republicans will have to make some big cuts to make the bill's math work. The Senate version of Trump's spending bill is roughly $400 billion more expensive than the one passed by the House of Representatives. That puts additional pressure on vulnerable Republicans to vote for a policy that could cost them their seat.
“I don’t know what he believes,” said someone Politico interviewed who met with Dr. Oz at a meeting with hospital representatives. “He’s a real bright guy and everything, but he doesn’t have control of the policy.”