Senate Passes Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ After All-Night Vote-a-Rama, Setting Up House Showdown
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – After a marathon overnight session, the U.S. Senate narrowly passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” at midday on July 1, marking a major legislative victory for President Donald Trump and setting up a final push in the House just days before the July 4 deadline.
The chamber was deadlocked at 50-50 until Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote, securing passage of the sweeping GOP budget and tax bill. The dramatic vote followed over 35 hours of continuous floor activity, including a 16-hour reading of the 940-page bill and a frenetic “vote-a-rama” on a slew of amendments.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) worked throughout the night to wrangle enough Republican support to pass the bill. While Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) held firm in opposition, citing concerns over Medicaid cuts and deficit spending, others including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) flipped after last-minute concessions–particularly provisions aimed at protecting rural hospitals in her state.
The legislation includes major planks of Trump’s second-term agenda: extending the 2017 tax cuts, scrapping green energy tax credits, imposing new work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. Notably, a controversial Senate provision stripping Planned Parenthood and similar abortion providers of federal Medicaid funding was allowed to remain in the bill after a review by the Senate parliamentarian.
“This is a huge win for America,” Trump told reporters after the vote. “I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House, actually. I think it will be easier than the Senate.”
Still, hurdles remain. The bill now returns to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) must unify a fractious Republican majority to approve the Senate’s changes. Conservatives are already expressing concerns about the added deficit spending–$651 billion more than the House version–and moderates are worried about the impact on Medicaid recipients in their states.
“The House budget framework was clear: no new deficit spending,” the House Freedom Caucus wrote in a statement. “The Senate’s version adds hundreds of billions to the debt before interest. That’s not fiscal responsibility.”
Democrats, meanwhile, universally opposed the bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the measure “a gift to the rich” at the expense of low-income Americans, criticizing its tax provisions and projected $3.25 trillion addition to the deficit.
The bill’s Medicaid changes remain a central point of contention. It imposes 80-hour monthly work requirements for able-bodied adults, reduces provider tax limits for states, and cuts funding mechanisms many states use to draw down federal healthcare dollars. Tillis, who announced he won’t seek reelection, criticized the bill as breaking Trump’s promise to protect Medicaid and compared it to Obama-era healthcare pledges.
As the House prepares for a final vote scheduled on July 2, pressure is mounting. Johnson and GOP leadership expressed optimism in a joint statement: “House Republicans are ready to finish the job and put the One Big Beautiful Bill on President Trump’s desk in time for Independence Day.”
But even as lawmakers prepare to reconvene, political threats loom. Elon Musk blasted Republicans who supported the bill despite campaigning on fiscal restraint, warning on X that he would fund primary challengers: “They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
Despite divisions, Trump allies in both chambers are working to push the bill to his desk. If passed by the House, the bill would mark the most significant legislative victory of Trump’s second term, reshaping tax policy, entitlement spending, and energy regulation just months ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The countdown to Independence Day continues–but whether Republicans can rally one last time remains to be seen.
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