Anxiety is rising among Senate Republicans as President Donald Trump’s ambitious legislative package faces growing resistance within their own ranks.

According to The Hill, the Senate is now seriously considering breaking up Trump’s House-backed agenda into smaller pieces, hoping to pass less controversial priorities before the fall—but deep divides remain over proposals to cut Medicaid and address the federal deficit.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has pushed to pass all of Trump’s priorities in a single sweeping bill, but Senate Republicans are warning that the approach is faltering, with moderates objecting to Medicaid cuts and fiscal conservatives dismissing the proposed deficit reductions as insufficient. Negotiations have stalled, and some GOP senators are pushing for a strategy that would see the bill split into two or three parts, allowing quick passage of broadly supported measures like border security funding and tax cuts.

House bill struggles as Senate weighs new approach

The original “one big, beautiful bill” was derailed Friday when House fiscal hawks voted against advancing it out of committee, forcing a late-night Sunday scramble to keep the legislation alive before a Memorial Day deadline. Despite Speaker Johnson’s insistence that the bill remains on track, doubts are mounting in the Senate, where lawmakers are openly discussing contingency plans.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) had previously suggested a multi-bill strategy, but this was set aside at Johnson’s urging. Now, with the House bill bogged down, Thune’s approach is regaining traction among senators frustrated by the lack of progress. A Republican senator, speaking anonymously, noted that “there are still a lot of problems,” especially around Medicaid and SNAP reforms—the latter being a conservative target for cuts, but still unresolved in Senate talks.

As the summer draws closer, lawmakers are feeling pressure to act on border security, which has been delayed by disputes over tax policy and social safety net reforms. One senator said they are hearing urgent requests from the border patrol chief for resources that remain tied up in the legislative logjam.

Pressure grows to split Trump agenda into smaller bills

Several Republican senators believe dividing Trump’s legislative agenda is the only way forward, enabling Congress to quickly approve funding for border security and a permanent extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), whose committee oversees taxes and Medicaid, has not ruled out this approach, saying simply, “The two or bill strategy? I didn’t weigh in on that [earlier this year] and I’m not weighing in on it now.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has been the most vocal critic of the House approach, arguing the proposed spending cuts are “fake” and calling for immediate action on border security, Pentagon funding, and tax cuts. He contends splitting the bill would allow Congress to address urgent priorities while buying time for debate on contentious issues.

Sen. Ron Johnson said:

That’s why you do multiple steps, you figure out the things you agree on. Leave the hard stuff for last. The problem with bundling all of that is what you’re seeing right now.

Johnson has joined Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in vowing to oppose the current House bill, insisting it cannot pass the Senate in its current form. He urged GOP leaders to acknowledge this reality and regroup.

Senate faces internal divisions over Medicaid and deficit

Senate leaders remain reluctant to abandon the single-bill approach, with Johnson describing resistance from the GOP leadership to his calls for a multi-step process. Fiscal conservatives are emboldened by Friday’s Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, which cited ballooning deficits and entitlement spending.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) described the bill as “very, very complicated,” with the biggest challenge being how to limit the impact on U.S. debt while balancing demands for expanded tax cuts and reduced Medicaid cuts. Cramer and others expressed frustration that widely supported provisions, like border and defense funding and the extension of Trump’s tax cuts, are still not enacted. He said:

We should have had our bill, extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, border security and defense increases done. It should be done. And we’d still be debating the same issues.

Despite the turmoil, Majority Leader Thune expressed confidence Tuesday that House Republicans could still deliver the package as one comprehensive bill, emphasizing close coordination between chambers.

Senate Republicans brace for decision on Trump agenda

Senate Republicans are confronting difficult choices as President Trump’s flagship legislative package struggles to advance. Deep divisions over Medicaid cuts, tax policy, and the federal deficit have paralyzed the bill, driving a renewed push to break it into smaller parts.

With the clock ticking and pressure mounting from the White House and constituents, GOP leaders must decide whether to gamble on a single, controversial package or pivot to a more incremental strategy that could deliver quick wins on border security and tax cuts. The outcome will determine not only the fate of Trump’s legislative priorities but also the party’s ability to govern effectively as the summer legislative session approaches.