New York Times: “The Senate is moving very slowly in its vote marathon, and senators say some proposed changes to the bill are still being reviewed by the parliamentarian for compliance with budget rules. In a typical vote-a-rama, the votes are much more rapid-fire.”
“The pace suggests that Republican leaders don’t have all their votes lined up and that the process could go into Tuesday.”
“North Carolina Democrats are getting closer to the gift they’ve have been asking for all year, with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) leaning toward a Senate run in the state President Trump has won three times,” Axios reports.
“The field is essentially frozen until Cooper and Lara Trump (R), the president’s daughter-in-law, decide if they want to be their party’s nominees.”
Elon Musk, on X:
“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a voice.”
And he added a threat:
“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame! And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
“On the text chains, on the phone calls, everyone is complaining… There’s a few little provisions people will say something positive about, but no one is happy with the Senate version. It’s amazing to a lot of us — how did it get so much fucking worse?”
— A moderate House Republican, quoted by The Hill, expressing frustration with the Senate version of President Trump’ tax bill.
President Trump and CBS are in “advanced” settlement talks in the lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, attorneys told a judge Monday, Variety reports.
The parties requested a stay in all proceedings in the case until Thursday, July 3, suggesting that a settlement could come soon.
With Rep. Don Bacon’s (R-NE) announcement that he won’t run for re-election next year, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball says Democrats are now favored to flip his seat.
“Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.”
— Elon Musk, on X, once again slamming President Trump’s tax bill.
“President Trump on Monday suggested there won’t be a trade deal with Japan, sharing that the trading partner will be getting a letter from the administration to set a tariff rate,” The Hill reports.
President Trump dropped his lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer over her late-campaign poll showing Kamala Harris competitive in Iowa.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) “has made up his mind: the centrist Nebraska lawmaker is leaving Congress after this term. But he still has a big decision to make on President Trump’s agenda, after years of scraps with the president and the MAGA movement,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“His announcement that he won’t run for re-election comes as the party has just days to pass the president’s tax and spending bill ahead of a self-imposed July 4 deadline. Bacon, who is considered a pivotal vote, says he is waiting to see what passes out of the Senate before he decides what to do.”
Said Bacon: “I’m not a ‘yes’ necessarily.”
“Dozens of House Republicans are scrambling behind the scenes to head off the deep Medicaid cuts in the Senate version of the party-line megabill that could pass as soon as tonight,” Politico reports.
“Group texts are blowing up and frantic phone calls are being exchanged among GOP lawmakers alarmed about the Senate Medicaid provisions… Even some conservatives in states that will be hit hard by the Senate’s crackdown on state-directed payments and medical provider taxes don’t want to vote on the Senate’s Medicaid text.”
“The Senate is just about four hours into a vote-a-rama for the Republicans’ massive reconciliation bill that senators predict won’t come to a close until late tonight or early Tuesday morning,” Punchbowl News reports.
“Senators have only voted on a handful of amendments so far. There have also been some procedural votes allowing Republicans to use an accounting tactic to zero out the cost of making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent.”
“The vote-a-rama is moving somewhat slowly for now. We’re still waiting for votes on key amendments, including on Medicaid and artificial intelligence regulation.”
“I would retire, too, if I voted against this bill.”
— Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), quoted by Fox News, on Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) decision to forgo reelection next year.
Cook Political Report: “The surprise move from Tillis moves this race into the Toss Up category and officially makes the Tar Heel State Democrats’ top pickup opportunity. The contest was already edging in this direction, but we had been awaiting former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision about whether to challenge Tillis.”
“The vulnerability of this seat, however, does not alter the overall Senate math for 2026. Even if Democrats were to win here in 2026, they’d still need to flip three more seats, including at least two in deep red states, in order to win a bare majority.”
“Oh my God, I just want to go home! I’ve already missed our entire trip to the beach… There’s no drama that we know the votes are going to go.”
— Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), quoted by Mediaite, wishing he didn’t have to be at work.
Gallup: “A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are ‘extremely’ (41%) or ‘very’ (17%) proud to be an American, down nine percentage points from last year and five points below the prior low from 2020.”
“Democrats are mostly responsible for the drop in U.S. pride this year, with 36% saying they are extremely or very proud, down from 62% a year ago. This is only the second time Democrats’ pride has fallen below the majority level, along with a 42% reading in 2020, the last year of the first Trump administration.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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