Senate Grinds Through Heated Debate as Trump’s Budget Bill Edges Toward Final Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate entered the final stretch Monday in a high-stakes push to pass former President Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending bill. The legislation, criticized for slashing social safety nets and increasing the national debt by trillions, has triggered sharp divides within both major parties.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” stretching over 940 pages, seeks to extend Trump-era tax cuts at a cost of $4.5 trillion, raise military spending, and fund a controversial mass deportation plan. If passed, it would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Senators spent the day locked in a slow-moving series of amendment votes a procedural marathon known as “vote-a-rama” with just 14 votes cast over seven hours. Debate is expected to continue into early Tuesday, when the final vote is likely to occur.
Republicans hold a narrow majority in the chamber. If more than three GOP senators defect, Vice President J.D. Vance will be required to cast the deciding vote.
Trump has demanded the bill reach his desk by July 4, calling it a priority for his 2025 agenda.
The bill proposes deep reductions to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Independent estimates project that nearly 12 million Americans could lose their health coverage by 2034 if these cuts go through.
Democrats have lined up against the proposal, accusing Republicans of shifting wealth away from the nation’s poorest. Senator Adam Schiff called the legislation “terrible” and said he doubts Trump’s timeline will hold.
Florida Senator Rick Scott introduced one of the most contentious amendments a long-term Medicaid reduction plan that could significantly increase the uninsured population. Senate Majority Leader John Thune defended the amendment, saying, “It doesn’t take effect until 2031. It won’t impact anyone’s health coverage tomorrow.”
But public resistance is mounting. Polls show the bill is broadly unpopular across income levels and age groups. Critics warn the plan could deepen inequality while doing little to control federal spending.
Not all Republicans are on board. Senators Thom Tillis and Rand Paul voted against opening debate on the bill. Tillis announced his retirement shortly after the vote, citing broken promises.
“Too many elected officials are motivated by raw politics and have abandoned the people they vowed to serve,” Tillis wrote in his resignation letter.
In the House, the Republican-led Freedom Caucus has warned that the Senate version could be dead on arrival. The caucus criticized the projected $650 billion increase to the deficit, calling it “not what we agreed to.”
Former Trump ally Elon Musk renewed his attacks on the legislation, calling it “insane” and accusing Republicans of hypocrisy. “They campaigned on cutting spending,” he wrote on X. “Then voted for the biggest debt increase in history.”
Musk again hinted at forming a new political party.
Trump fired back on Truth Social, saying Musk “may have received more subsidy than anyone in U.S. history” and suggested he’d be out of business without government support.
If the Senate passes the bill, it must return to the House of Representatives, where leadership has scheduled a potential vote as early as Wednesday. The House narrowly approved its own version last month by just one vote.
The debate has exposed deeper fractures within American politics. While Democrats stand firmly opposed, the bill’s fiercest threats may come from inside the GOP itself.
The outcome will shape the federal budget, healthcare access, and tax policy for years. As lawmakers dig in for one final stretch, the future of Trump’s “big beautiful bill” hangs by a thread.
