President Donald Trump on Friday said his July 4 deadline to sign the tax cut and spending megabill is "not set in stone" and could be extended.
Although the "one, big, beautiful bill" has passed the House, some Republican senators have expressed opposition to items in the legislation.
Upper chamber changes to the bill will force it to go back to the House for approval.
With Congress working under the Fourth of July deadline, Trump was asked about its importance.
"It's important. It's not the end all," Trump told reporters of the deadline. "It can go longer, but we'd like to get it done by that time, if possible."
The president was asked about Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who has said he can't vote for the bill in its current state. A reporter offered that Johnson said he "wants to get to yes for you and get this accomplished."
"He's a good man," said Trump, who then was told Johnson wants more time to construct the bill.
"Well, then he's not such a good …" the president joked before turning serious.
"He's very committed. Every Republican senator is committed," Trump said. "And, you know, you could have a couple of grandstanders. In all fairness, you could have somebody else.
"They [Democrats] want to raise your taxes, so they want to see a 68% tax increase. That's more money than anybody could afford. You'd go into a depression if that ever happened. So, I think there's a lot of pressure to get that [bill] approved."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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