Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage Tuesday on the narrowest of votes, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session.
Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The three Republicans opposing the bill were Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Tax breaks, spending cuts and new money for national defense and deportations are among the top concerns for Republicans. Democrats worry the bill’s reductions to Medicaid will leave millions without care.
The bill has to pass the House again before Trump can sign it into law, and the difficulty for Republicans is not expected to let up. Speaker Mike Johnson warned senators not to deviate too far from what his chamber had already approved. But the Senate did make changes, particularly to Medicaid, risking more problems as they race to finish by Trump’s Fourth of July deadline.
The nonpartisan CBO said Sunday the bill would pile nearly $3.3 trillion onto the nation’s debt load from 2025 to 2034, a nearly $1 trillion increase over the House-passed version of the bill. The analysis also found that 11.8 million Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill passed.
House Democrats to regroup tonight as they weigh options to block Trump bill
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday that “all legislative tools and options are on the table” as Democrats strategize to prevent Republicans from giving final passage to Trump’s big bill.
Jeffries said Democratic leadership would meet Tuesday evening, followed by a full caucus meeting at 6 p.m. He said he expects all members to be at the Capitol this week.
He used especially forceful language after the bill passed the House, saying “this disgusting abomination will set in motion a potential economic death spiral.”
To delay final passage past Trump’s self-imposed July 4th deadline, Jeffries did not rule out invoking a “magic minute,” a rarely used tool allowing unlimited speaking time for leaders after debate has officially ended.
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This is awesome! Mom didn’t really need Medicaid anyway.