President Donald Trump's first several months back in the Oval Office have been extraordinarily busy and ambitious, with the White House attempting to tackle a host of priorities on which he ran in 2024.

Among Trump's most significant current objectives is the passage of his so-called “big, beautiful bill,” and while the measure successfully cleared the House, a key vote in the upper chamber -- that of Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson -- looks shakier than ever, as The Hill reports.

Johnson says no

In a potentially notable blow to the bill's prospects, Johnson has declared his inability to support the measure due to his belief that it does not take sufficient steps to address the federal deficit.

According to Johnson, the measure requires substantial alterations before he could consider changing his mind, particularly in light of a report from the Senate Finance Committee outlining potential changes to Medicaid and to the tax code.

Though committee chair Mike Crapo (R-ID) outlined alterations to Medicaid that surpassed those in the House version of the bill, Johnson remains dissatisfied, contending that more must be done to slash the deficit, which projections suggest will top $2.2 trillion a year over the next ten years.

In Johnson's blunt estimation, “We've got a ways to go on this one.”

In response to a matter-of-fact inquiry as to whether he would vote for the bill as it currently stands, the Wisconsin lawmaker said, “no.”

Paul softens

Also putting the bill's fate in doubt in recent weeks, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who shares Johnson's concerns about the fiscal impact of the measure.

Paul has stated on multiple occasions that if the bill raises the debt ceiling by several trillion dollars, he cannot in good conscience vote in favor of it.

Though he has long signaled his opposition to the Trump-backed bill, Paul has recently signaled a potential willingness to compromise, stating, as Fox News notes, that is not necessarily “an absolute no.”

Revealing that he spoke directly with Trump about his current reservations, Paul indicated that for him to vote yes on the bill, debt ceiling provisions would need to be addressed in separate legislation, though the likelihood of extracting such a concession is far from clear.

Given that Republicans currently hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, the measure can only survive three defections, given that Vice President J.D. Vance can still provide a tie-breaking vote if it should prove necessary.

Deadline looms

Amid this week's release of Senate-desired changes to the legislation, the bill may well be on a collision course with House, with a large number of contentious issues and competing priorities yet to be resolved.

Even so, as Politico suggests, the White House remains determined to meet its previously articulated timeline of July 4 for final passage and enactment by a stroke of the president's pen, but whether that is a remotely achievable goal in the currently difficult congressional environment, only time will tell.