NOTE: VIDEO AT THE END OF ARTICLE
After an overnight marathon vote, the Senate approved President Donald Trump’s massive $3.3 trillion spending package by a razor-thin 51-50 margin. Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote early Tuesday morning, sending the bill back to the House for reconciliation over Medicaid cuts and tax provisions.
Moments before passage, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) invoked the Byrd Rule to block the bill’s official title, forcing its renaming to simply “the act.” “This is not a ‘big, beautiful bill’ at all. It’s a ‘big ugly betrayal,’” Schumer said, warning that the bill will lead to millions losing health insurance and a sharp rise in the national debt.
No Senate Democrats supported the legislation, which allocates $500 billion for border security and includes significant tax cuts, but also proposes cuts to Medicaid. Several Republicans opposed the bill as well, including Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, and Thom Tillis, who announced his retirement just before the vote, citing concerns about the bill’s impact.
Vice President Vance defended the legislation, praising the tax cuts and border security funding as wins for Americans. The Congressional Budget Office projects the bill will add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, mainly due to extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
Critics like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted the bill, calling Vance’s vote “an absolute betrayal of working families.” The bill now heads to the House, where lawmakers must resolve differences before sending it to the President.
With the July 4 deadline approaching, Republican leaders are pushing for quick passage. Public opinion remains divided, and Schumer warned this vote will have lasting political consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP7xa0-BeoQ
