WASHINGTON — The Senate embarked on an extensive voting marathon that stretched into Monday night as Republican leaders scrambled to build support for President Donald Trump’s significant tax breaks and spending cuts bill. Meanwhile, they fended off numerous amendments from Democrats intent on blocking the package.
The outcome remained uncertain. Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota expressed that Republicans are “figuring out how to get to the end game.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson hinted at the challenges the Senate’s plan might face upon returning to his chamber for final voting, anticipated this week ahead of Trump’s Fourth of July deadline. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, urged his Senate colleagues, “please, please, please keep it as close to the House product as possible.” The House had passed its version last month.
The Republicans, who hold Congressional control, face a crucial moment as they race against Trump’s holiday deadline on Friday to wrap up the package known formally as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” This expansive 940-page legislation stands as a collective priority between Congress and the president.
With narrow majorities, the GOP leadership cannot afford to lose more than three Republican senators. Currently, two senators, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky, oppose the bill. Tillis, who warns about Medicaid health care access, recently announced he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened a campaign against him.
Attention has now turned to key figures like Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who have expressed concerns about health care cuts. Additionally, a group of four conservative GOP senators are advocating for deeper reductions.
Billionaire Elon Musk criticized Republicans on social media, dubbing them the “PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for including a measure that raises the national debt limit by $5 trillion to ensure continued borrowing to pay the government’s bills.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer from New York declared that Democrats are striving to reveal “how awful this is,” citing that Republicans face internal chaos due to the bill’s unpopularity. Democrats have proposed multiple amendments during what’s called a vote-a-rama, although most are expected to fail.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued a new report indicating that if the bill becomes law, 11.8 million more Americans would be uninsured by 2034 and that the package would swell the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion in the next decade.
The White House, emphasizing alignment, stated they were relying on Republican lawmakers to “get the job done.” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt urged Republicans to remain “tough and unified during the home stretch.”
Within both the House and Senate, dissatisfaction persists over the final package. Tillis has described it as a betrayal of Trump’s promise to not cut health care, particularly if rural hospitals close.
Collins has proposed augmenting the $25 billion rural hospital fund to $50 billion, while Murkowski seeks to secure measures to protect Alaskans from health care and food stamp reductions. Their votes on the final package remain undisclosed.
Meanwhile, conservative senators Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming pushed for more drastic health care cuts and convened with Thune for a late-night meeting.
Initial Senate amendments aimed at eliminating parts of the bill affecting Medicaid funds for rural hospitals or transferring food stamp costs to states gained limited support from Republicans, though none passed.
Mike Crapo, GOP chairman of the Finance Committee, dismissed fears about health care cuts as Democrats exploiting “politics of fear.”
In essence, the Senate package involves $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, cementing Trump’s 2017 tax rates which would expire if Congress fails to act, alongside new proposed cuts, including no taxes on tips.
Green energy tax breaks face rollbacks worth billions, which Democrats warn might obliterate nationwide wind and solar investments. The bill proposes $1.2 trillion in cuts, predominantly affecting Medicaid and food stamps through stricter work requirements and altering federal reimbursements to states.
Additionally, a $350 billion investment is allocated for border and national security, including deportations funded partly by new fees on immigrants.
Though Democrats cannot block the bill’s progress, as the minority party, they aim to delay it through procedural tools like a full reading of the bill lasting 16 hours, followed by an influx of amendments.
Senator Patty Murray from Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, began debates by criticizing the accounting methods used by Republicans, who consider the tax breaks from Trump’s first term as “current policy,” which should not contribute to the deficit tally.
This so-called “magic math” is unlikely to resonate with Americans, who maintain their own household budgets.
Democratic efforts continue as the legislative battle evolves.