Senate Wrestles with Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Senate Republicans worked into the evening on Monday to marshal support for President Trump’s massive tax and spending bill, while Democrats launched amendments aiming to stall or derail it. House Speaker Mike Johnson urged the Senate to keep the bill close to the House version ahead of a final vote. With tight GOP margins and vocal dissenters, the legislation faces a critical vote-a-rama ahead of Trump’s July 4 deadline.
Quick Looks
- GOP Senate pushes forward Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax-and-spending package
- Only three Republican defections allowed; two already opposed (Tillis, Paul)
- House Speaker Johnson urges little change from the House draft
- Democrats filed dozens of amendments, delaying passage
- CBO projects loss of coverage for 11.8 million and $3.3 trillion added deficit
- Bill extends 2017 tax cuts permanently, rolls back green energy credits
- Adds $1.2 trillion in Medicaid/food-stamp cuts, $350 billion for border security
- Rural senators push for hospital and SNAP protections; conservatives press deeper cuts
Deep Look
As the U.S. Senate plowed through amendment votes late into Monday night, Republican leaders scrambled to secure the final votes necessary to pass President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending legislation. Officially dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the 940-page measure represents the Trump administration’s most ambitious legislative push of 2025, combining trillions in permanent tax cuts with steep reductions in government safety net programs. The path to passage, however, is proving as politically perilous as it is procedurally grueling.
GOP Tightrope in the Senate
With only a razor-thin majority, Senate Republicans face little room for error. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is under immense pressure to hold the line as party leaders negotiate with both moderate and far-right lawmakers. At present, Republicans can afford to lose no more than three votes. Already, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) have announced opposition—Tillis due to Medicaid concerns, and Paul due to his objection to the bill’s debt ceiling increase.
Tillis made headlines over the weekend by declaring he would not seek re-election, days after Trump threatened to endorse a primary challenger if he opposed the bill. This underscored the intense intra-party tensions and the high stakes surrounding Trump’s push to meet his July 4 legislative deadline.
House and Senate Must Reconcile
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has urged the Senate to preserve the House’s version of the legislation as much as possible to streamline reconciliation. “Please, please, please keep it close,” Johnson implored as he left the Capitol. The House passed its version last month with the backing of the president, but any Senate alterations risk triggering a prolonged and difficult conference committee process.
With the Fourth of July just days away, timing is critical. The Trump administration and congressional Republicans are banking on a major policy win to energize their base and strengthen Trump’s hand heading into the 2026 midterm cycle.
Democrats Dig In with Vote-a-Rama
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have united in opposition. Though unable to stop the bill outright, they are using procedural tools to delay its progress. Monday’s session marked the beginning of a vote-a-rama—a tactic involving the submission of dozens of amendments, each requiring a vote.
Democrats forced a 16-hour reading of the entire bill and introduced amendments targeting Medicaid caps, SNAP (food stamp) cuts, and tax break adjustments. Most are expected to fail, but the goal is to highlight unpopular provisions and drag out the process as long as possible.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) criticized the Republicans’ fiscal assumptions, especially the claim that the cost of extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts should not count toward the national deficit because they reflect “current policy.” “Americans can see through this magic math,” she warned.
What’s Inside the “One Big Beautiful Bill”
The bill is sweeping in scope, encompassing nearly every corner of the federal budget and tax code:
- Tax Cuts: It makes Trump’s 2017 tax rates permanent, while adding new reductions, including the much-publicized elimination of taxes on tips. The CBO estimates these changes will cost $4.5 trillion over ten years.
- Spending Cuts: The bill includes $1.2 trillion in spending reductions, largely targeting Medicaid and SNAP. It imposes stricter work requirements, more complex eligibility rules, and reduces federal reimbursements to states.
- Energy Policy: It rolls back green energy tax credits established under the Biden administration, which Democrats warn will devastate clean energy projects and jobs in solar and wind industries.
- National Security: The legislation allocates $350 billion to border enforcement and deportations, funded partly by increased fees on immigrants.
Health Care Fallout and Deficit Concerns
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued a stark warning Monday: if enacted, the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured Americans by 2034 and increase the federal deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the next decade. These figures have become rallying cries for Democrats and sources of hesitation for moderate Republicans.
Internal GOP Conflicts
Even among Republicans, unity is elusive. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is pushing for a $25 billion infusion for rural hospitals, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is negotiating exemptions from food stamp and Medicaid cuts for Alaskans. Neither has confirmed how they will vote on the final bill.
Conservative hardliners like Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) want even deeper cuts to entitlement programs. Trump, ever watchful of the optics, warned them not to go “crazy,” signaling a preference for pragmatism over purity.
Adding to the drama, Elon Musk criticized the bill on social media, calling the GOP the “PORKY PIG PARTY!!” over the inclusion of a $5 trillion debt limit increase needed to fund the proposed tax breaks and defense investments.
What Happens Next
As Senate leaders count votes and prepare for a possible final passage later this week, uncertainty looms. Republican unity is fragile, Democratic opposition is fierce, and the legislative process remains unpredictable. Yet Trump and his allies are pushing forward, determined to secure a legacy-defining legislative win before the fireworks of Independence Day.
The outcome of this massive package will shape not only fiscal policy for the next decade but also the political landscape for 2026 and beyond.
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