(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says it’ll be after the holiday before the Senate reviews the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that passed the House earlier this week, incorporating many of President Trump’s major political goals. It includes $140 billion for mass deportations and immigration enforcement, eliminating taxes on workers’ tips and overtime, extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, and increasing the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says senators are aware of most of the bill’s contents, but she believes they can improve on it. “I think there’s so much in it right now,” Ernst says. “We just need to take the time, hear from our constituents about it, and then make those decisions as we come back. I hope that we can strengthen the bill. I hope that we can really make sure that our federal spending is actually going to the areas where we need to be spending, and maybe some of the extra-type programs we can scale back on those, or eliminate unnecessary spending.”

Other provisions include nearly $700 billion in federal spending cuts for Medicaid, and a $267 billion funding reduction for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP. The bill also institutes new work requirements for SNAP recipients. Ernst expects a close review of the Medicaid and SNAP content.

Senator Ernst. (Photo from Ernst’s office)

“If we’re looking at Medicaid,” she says, “making sure that those that are not part of that vulnerable population that we want to protect are moved out of Medicaid. Otherwise, having those work requirements, making sure that it meets the needs of Iowans, I think that will be critically important.”

Ernst challenges the Congressional Budget Office report which indicates the measure would increase the nation’s deficit by more than $3 trillion. “Anytime you hear a number like that, you are concerned,” Ernst says, “But, I would say the CBO was absolutely wrong when we did the 2017 bill. What we saw, actually, from the 2017 tax bill — which this is basically a replication of that — was extremely growth in revenue in the federal government, because with the tax provisions for individuals, and small businesses or so forth, we saw a lot more growth within the economy.”

The senator also supports Trump’s 2017 tax cut package, which was due to expire at the end of the year.