‘How Do We Knit 51 Senators Together?’: Republicans Try to Find a Reconciliation Compromise

Senate Republicans are facing an uphill battle in cobbling together a majority for reconciliation.

John Thune
Senate Majority Leader John Thune gives remarks to the media during a press conference with Senate Republican Leadership. Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA via AP

Senate Republicans are trying to quickly move forward with the reconciliation bill. It won’t be easy.

“There’s going to be a lot of trade-offs in this whole negotiation,” Sen. John Cornyn told reporters Monday evening. “How do we knit 51 senators together? Right now, it looks a little challenging.”

To pass the bill, Republican leaders will need to cut deals with nearly every corner of their conference and, like the House, lean on President Donald Trump and the White House to muscle the legislation over the goal line.