WASHINGTON – Republicans were not on the same page to meet President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July deadline on the 940-page “big, beautiful” bill.
In the Senate, there are 53 Republicans, who were divided over the bill for different reasons, and 47 Democrats who all opposed the bill.
“Republicans have to decide, choose the American people or bow down to President Trump and his coterie of billionaires,” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D, N.Y., said on the floor.
As the deal-making continued, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, were swing votes. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., planned to vote against.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., supports the bill as it allocates $350 billion for national security, including immigration enforcement.
“If you‘re for open borders, this bill is your worst nightmare,” Graham said on the Senate floor.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he strongly supports the estimated $4 trillion in tax cuts that come with the bill.
“No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, lower taxes for seniors, for Social Security recipients, these are all targeted at working Americans,” Thune said on the floor.
Tillis was among the Republicans who opposed cutting $1.2 trillion in programs for the poor. On Sunday, he announced he doesn’t plan to run for reelection and delivered a floor speech about Medicaid, a health insurance for the poor.
“Republicans are about to make a mistake on health care and betraying a promise,” Tillis said about Trump’s promise that “we can go after waste, fraud, and abuse on any programs.”
The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency, reported the bill would cause 11.8 million to be uninsured by 2034.
Politico reported Sunday night that Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., distributed a draft of a Medicaid amendment to end the 90% cost share for eligible enrollees under the 2010 Affordable Care Act in 2030. Trump asked lawmakers not to go “crazy.”
CBO analysts also warned about a $3.3 trillion deficit increase in over a decade. Paul, a libertarian conservative, said the national debt concerned him.
“We are adding $2 trillion this year. The authors of the bill anticipate adding more than $2 trillion next year,” Paul said Sunday on the Senate floor. “That doesn’t sound at all conservative to me.”
Senators could vote as early as Monday night.
“Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home stretch,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, adding that Trump expects senators to pass the bill and send it to the House for a final vote.
“I have prevailed upon my Senate colleagues to please, please, please keep it as close to the House product as possible,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
The bill also gets rid of wind and solar energy incentives. Elon Musk announced on X that he would launch his “America Party” if the bill passed.
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