Trump, of course, wants desperately to keep his tax cuts. The problem is that under the current rules, they have to be paid for, at least in part. Most House Republicans have identified Medicaid as the primary source for offsetting spending cuts. As Steve Bannon has correctly noted, however, plenty of MAGA voters rely on Medicaid for their health insurance. A painful decision consequently is in the offing.
Trump doesn’t do tradeoffs; hence, the Obamacare repeal fiasco in his first term. Instead of giving firm direction, he will send out mixed messages in an effort to avoid being blamed by his supporters for the outcome. As a result, the GOP leaders in Congress will have to figure this one out on their own.
There are enough moderates in the House to make this process exciting. It is by no means certain that any large taxing and spending bill will have the votes to pass. Pull up a chair and grab some popcorn; the chaos is about to begin.