WASHINGTON () Senate Republicans are preparing to vote Monday on the centerpiece legislation of President Donald Trump’s second term the so-called “big beautiful bill” with just days remaining before Trump’s July 4 deadline.
Trump and his team will be closely monitoring developments on Capitol Hill as the Senate enters a “vote-a-rama” to finalize amendments to sweeping tax and spending packages.
Lawmakers worked through the weekend locked in debate, with Democrats forcing Senate clerks to read through the entire 940-page bill, a process that took nearly 16 hours.
If passed, the bill would head to the House, where Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said a vote in the lower chamber could happen as soon as Wednesday morning.
CBO warns ‘big, beautiful bill‘ adds trillions to debt
The Congressional Budget Office warned the proposal would add $3.3 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade and result in deeper health care cuts, with more Americans expected to lose Medicaid coverage.
Republicans dispute the CBO’s forecast, claiming it doesn’t account for projected economic growth.
Trump spoke this weekend about the urgency of Congress passing the plan, warning of financial consequences if the bill stalls.
“I’d like to say yes, but the problem is if we’re two days late or five days later, everybody says, ‘Oh, you had a tremendous failure.’ Whatever it is, as long as we have it. It’s very important,” Trump told Fox News. “If we don’t have it, there’s a 68% tax increase. If we don’t have it, you know, the debt ceiling extension is very important.”
Dems cry foul over ‘big, beautiful bill’ cost estimate
Democrats argue that the legislation will ultimately harm Americans.
“You can’t paper over the real-life consequences of adding tens of trillions to the debt,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday. “Sky-high interest rates. Higher borrowing costs for cars, for homes, for credit cards. Americans are going to feel this, unfortunately, everywhere they look.”
Some Republicans aren’t sold on ‘big, beautiful bill’
Within Republican ranks, support isn’t unanimous. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who recently announced he won’t seek reelection, voted against advancing the bill over the weekend.
Along with Paul, eyes are also on Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, as key to Monday’s outcome.
Trump urges senators to overrule parliamentarian
Senate GOP leaders can only afford to lose support from three Republicans and would still need a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance.
However, if key parts of the legislation are held up, Trump is urging Republicans to overrule Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.
The parliamentarian is the nonpartisan Senate official responsible for determining whether parts of laws meant to be passed through budget reconciliation comply with the rules for that process.
Budget reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with simple majorities, thereby averting the filibuster. However, those provisions must follow specific instructions passed through a budget resolution and not expand the deficit beyond the window outlined in the bill.
