By:Airiel B.
President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget proposal, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.
The bill passed along razor-thin margins, with three Republican senators, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Thom Tillis, joining all 47 Democrats in opposition. The Senate had been locked in a marathon session since early Monday, debating 46 proposed amendments in what was nicknamed a “vote-a-rama,” before ultimately passing the legislation midday Tuesday.
The bill includes $4.5 trillion in extended tax cuts, originally passed during Trump’s first term in 2017, which are set to expire at the end of this year unless Congress takes action. It also includes $350 billion for enhanced border security and enforcement measures.
Republican opposition centered largely on steep Medicaid cuts, over $1 trillion, that critics say would disproportionately harm low-income families and rural health providers. “I strongly support tax relief,” Senator Collins said, “but I cannot support a bill that would harm Medicaid-dependent hospitals and nursing homes.”
Senator Paul cited concerns over the national deficit, referencing Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would add more than $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.
Senate Democrats attempted to delay the bill’s progress, forcing a 16-hour reading over the weekend and criticizing reductions to Medicaid and food assistance programs.
The legislation now moves to the House, where Republicans hold a slim majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that the bill may undergo further changes, despite pressure from Trump to finalize it before the Fourth of July.
“We added everything in there for everybody,” Trump said Tuesday. “It’s a big, beautiful economic development bill. Great for the border, great for tax cuts. But it’s not easy.”
