As the drama over Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful bill approaches its climax this week, there’s been lots of complaining among House and Senate Republicans about various provisions. You might even conclude the megabill is in trouble. But the battle over the budget-reconciliation bill is really like a game of musical chairs: Republicans are free to posture and maneuver and bitch and moan about the bill until the moment Trump stops the music and they all (or nearly all) vote “aye.” It’s happened over and over again during the long and tedious process that led to this moment, and there’s no reason to think the basic dynamic has changed.

But there has been one truly surprising development during the last few days: Instead of quietly swallowing his objections to the megabill (particularly its Medicaid cuts), North Carolina senator

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