Senate Majority Leader John Thune led the push for a vote on key budget legislation that is critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda, resulting in a contentious 51-49 advance for the "Big Beautiful Bill." This latest version of the bill, comprising 940 pages, faced fierce opposition from two Republican senators who sided with Democrats, revealing deep divisions within the party over welfare cuts tied to $3.8 trillion in tax breaks.
The voting outcome allows the Senate to begin deliberating the bill, yet its future remains uncertain with ongoing disputes over specific provisions. Vice-President JD Vance was ready to provide a tiebreaking vote but wasn't needed as Republican leaders reached a majority agreement. On the opposing front, Democrats, spearheaded by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, vowed to prolong the process, demanding that Republicans read the bill aloud, a tactic aimed at disrupting proceedings. Some House Republicans have also raised concerns about the modifications made in the Senate version of the bill, which narrowly passed in the House last month.
Despite struggles to gather sufficient support, some skeptical Republicans were persuaded to back the bill, including centrist figures like Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins. The bill includes proposed enhancements addressing Republican moderates' concerns, such as increased funding for rural hospitals and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that exempt Alaska and Hawaii from bearing some costs. The legislation also retains significant elements from Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, introducing tax deductions for Social Security benefits and eliminating taxes on overtime and tips, but it sticks to more contentious Medicaid changes that Democrats argue would limit healthcare access for millions.
Critics of the bill include Senator Patty Murray, who condemned it as harboring "the largest healthcare cuts in history," and Elon Musk, who warned that it would jeopardize jobs while undermining renewable energy projects through proposed taxes. To pass, the bill requires a simple majority in the Senate, where Republicans, bolstered by 53 seats and the Vice-President's tiebreaker, can afford to lose only three votes.
