Senate Republicans narrowly proposed a budget bill, which is President Donald Trump’s second term agenda before the July 4 deadline.
In a 51-49 vote, the Senate has begun debate on the bill, a major obstacle that Republicans are scrambling to overcome. Two Republicans joined Democrats in opposition to the bill’s move.
Shortly after midnight, after its latest version (all 940 pages) was released, the party leadership has been on Saturday for its first vote on the Big Beautiful Act.
Republicans allocated how much in the case of cuts in welfare programs to extend 3.8tn (2.8tn) in Trump’s tax break.
The fate of the bill in the Senate remains uncertain as Republicans in the chamber continue to argue with the bill’s provisions. Vice President JD Vance went to the Capitol on Saturday night to offer a tiebreaker vote, although party leaders were able to negotiate a majority without his help.
Meanwhile, Democrats say they will withdraw the process in the bill, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his party will force Republicans to read nearly 1,000 pages of text before the Senate starts debate and potentially make the last vote.
In addition, some Republicans in the House have expressed concern about changes in the Senate version. The massive tax and expenditure measures passed the House last month by one vote.
The Senate version of the bill includes a series of changes designed to resolve the key points of disagreements among Republicans. Nevertheless, the party leaders are still struggling to get enough votes.
In a memo sent to the Senate office, the White House endorsed the latest amendment to the bill and called for its passage.
The memorandum reportedly warned that not approving the budget “will be the ultimate betrayal.”
Rand Paul, a Republican of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, joined Democrats to reject the bill.
When the Senate vote summed up, President Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that Tillis made a “big mistake”. He wrote that he would meet with the candidates who “stand up and want to fight “Senator Tom Tillis” in the primary.
However, the bill did win some skeptical Republicans, including Alaska’s centrist Republican Lisa Merkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin voted very much, but changed his vote at the end of the voting meeting.
The latest version is designed to appease some back-bench Republicans.
Other amendments incorporated into the opinions of Senate members, who reviewed the bill to ensure they comply with the chamber of commerce procedures.
This includes increasing funding for rural hospitals after some parties claimed that the original proposal would harm their voters.
The Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income Americans.
Under the latest bill, Alaska and Hawaii will temporarily exempt certain states from the requirement to start paying for the program, which is currently fully funded by the federal government.
Revisions were made after two Republican senators in Alaska urged a waiver.
The legislation still contains some of its core components, including expanding tax cuts passed by the Republican Party in 2017, as well as new cuts in the Trump campaign, such as tax breaks on Social Security benefits and the elimination of taxes on overtime work and tips.
There are more controversial measures, including restrictions and requirements for Medicaid, a healthcare program used by millions of seniors, disabled people and low-income Americans.
Democrats have severely criticized the bill, saying it would limit millions of Americans’ access to affordable health care.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 7.8 million people will not be able to insure due to such Medicaid cuts.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Democratic Washington state, went to social media on Saturday, saying the bill contained “the biggest health care in history.”
Another criticism of the bill is Elon Musk, who wrote on X on Saturday that the latest iteration of the bill “will destroy millions of jobs in the United States and cause huge strategic harm to our country.”
Musk raised questions about the bill’s taxes on solar and wind projects.
The bill now requires a simple majority to clear the Senate. Republicans have 53 seats in 100, and combined with the decisive game of Vice President JD Vance, the party can only afford three defections.
