American Prospect: “The federal share of payment for Medicaid would be increased for ‘the state with the highest separate poverty guideline.’ That happens to be Alaska. Their share would increase 25 percent above that of a typical state.”

“Other programs bundle together benefits for ‘noncontiguous states,’ referring to Alaska and Hawaii. That includes an exemption from work requirements for SNAP, an increase in Medicare reimbursement rates to select health care providers, and a waiver from the cost-sharing provisions, whereby a state must contribute to SNAP funding… The reason Hawaii is getting this bounty is to get around the rules of budget reconciliation, where everything must have primarily a budgetary purpose. If Alaska were singled out by itself, then Democrats could charge that the riders were simply policy meant to benefit Alaska…”

“However, other benefits truly only benefit Alaska-based interests. For example, western Alaskan fishing villages get a special tax exemption. And Alaskan whaling captains will be able to deduct $50,000 of their business expenses as a charitable contribution, up from $10,000 under current law.”

“Republican party leaders are rushing to overcome lingering internal fights over President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending package as Democrats launch attacks to exploit the divisions,” Bloomberg reports.

“Senate Republicans were still at odds Monday over how much to cut Medicaid and other social safety-net programs and how rapidly to end Biden-era clean energy tax breaks as Democrats gained the chance Monday to force votes on amendments to the package.”

“Democrats, locked out of power in Washington, are aiming to offer amendments during a marathon voting session to exploit the infighting and make the GOP goal of getting holdouts to back the bill as soon as tonight more difficult.”

Politico: Vote-a-rama, last hurdle before megabill’s Senate approval, is underway.

The Washington Post’s most-read article this morning details what’s in the Senate version of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

David Axelrod notes that Republicans are “racing to ram this bill through” because “the longer it goes… the closer you look… the uglier it gets.”

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) is inching closer to launching a Senate campaign as Republicans scramble to find a consensus candidate who can defeat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Punchbowl News reports.