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The Senate voted to proceed on President Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill in a rare drama-packed Saturday night vote.
They key procedural vote on the motion to proceed is a significant victory for the President and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and clears the path for amendment votes to begin, likely late Monday night.
The bill contains many of Trump’s key campaign promises and addresses immigration and border security, energy, national security and defense, and taxes – notably extending the bulk of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and instituting no tax on tips and overtime.
The vote was 51 to 49. Vice President JD Vance led negotiations with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and a handful of conservative holdouts.
Vance arrived at the Capitol with the expectation his vote would be needed. Although his vote proved unnecessary, his role in negotiations on behalf of the White House ensured the bill advanced.
The budget reconciliation bill requires only a majority to advance, circumventing the Senate’s 60-vote requirement for most legislation but limiting the bill’s provisions to those primarily addressing spending and revenue.
Two Republican Senators voted with all 47 Democrats against moving forward.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) voted against moving forward over concerns with the bill’s Medicaid provisions’ impact on rural hospitals – claims which – News reported have been pushed by groups relying on talking points from radical-left groups.
Opposition to the bill from Tillis, who has often pushed back against Trump’s America First agenda, sparked Trump to call for a primary challenge to Tillis through a Truth Social post – before the vote had even closed.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) also voted against proceeding to the bill over concerns that the bill does not slash enough mandatory spending. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) voted no before switching and voting yes with a trio of holdouts.
Thune and Vance won over the group of Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), along with Johnson, who met in Thune’s office for over an hour before casting their votes to proceed to the bill.
It is unclear what, if any, concessions they received for their votes.
Further challenges lie ahead. At least a handful of Senators, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), voted to proceed to the bill despite needing further changes before supporting passage. Sen. Lisa Murkowsi (R-AK), who received a handful of carveouts for Alaska in the bill text released late Friday night, voted to proceed after long conversations on the floor with Senate leaders.
The path ahead, expected to include high-level horse trading and an overnight amendment vote-a-rama, will test the patience of Senators who are tired of the weeks-long negotiations – and one another.
Senate rules require twelve hours of debate before moving to votes on amendments and final passage. But first, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will force the Senate clerk to read the entire bill – a delay tactic that could take up to 15 hours or more.
The Senate most likely will begin voting late Monday night, with a final passage vote expected perhaps Monday morning.
If the Senate can pass the bill on that timeline and send it to the House, that chamber is unlikely to vote before Thursday, with Trump’s July 4 deadline looming Friday. House Republican leaders anxious to seal the deal held a conference-wide call Saturday afternoon encouraging members to bring any concerns with the bill to leadership instead of airing them over social media.
Independence Day passage could give the master marketer Trump an added celebratory flair for an Oval Office bill signing ceremony. But regardless of when the bill ultimately passes – which most prognosticators predict is a near-inevitability – the Big, Beautiful Bill will deliver the president a signature second term win. And Republicans will have their flagship policy accomplishment to take to voters in the midterm elections.
But first, there’s Senate sausage to be made. And you can bet Trump will be watching closely.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for – News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
