Big Beautiful Bill Update: Trump’s Legislation Advances in Senate Amid GOP Defection and Fierce Resistance
WASHINGTON – In a critical update on President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy, the U.S. Senate advanced the so-called “big beautiful bill” late Saturday night, clearing a key procedural hurdle on a narrow 51-49 vote. The move pushes the sprawling 940-page legislation into a contentious floor debate, where it faces significant resistance from Democrats and a growing rebellion from within Republican ranks over its true cost and deep cuts to Medicaid.
This latest big beautiful bill update signals a high-stakes legislative battle as President Trump pressures Congress for a victory before a self-imposed July 4th deadline. The bill, which addresses everything from taxes and military spending to government benefits, is being advanced under special budgetary rules. However, its path is fraught with conflict, focusing on a controversial accounting method used to calculate its deficit impact and proposed healthcare cuts projected to leave millions more Americans uninsured.
The vote’s immediate aftermath exposed deep fractures within the Republican party. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who along with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was one of only two Republicans to vote against advancing the bill, announced Sunday he will not seek re-election. Tillis pointed to the bill’s Medicaid provisions as his primary concern. In response, President Trump celebrated the retirement on Truth Social, calling it “Great News!” and escalating the party’s internal conflict.
As the formal debate began Sunday, Democrats initiated their own form of protest. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forced Senate clerks to begin a marathon full reading of the entire 940-page bill, a procedural tactic designed to delay proceedings and draw public attention to the bill’s contents. The reading is expected to last between 10 to 15 hours.
At the core of the dispute are starkly different analyses from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Using traditional accounting, the CBO projects the bill would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the national debt. However, using a “current policy” baseline preferred by Republicans—which assumes the 2017 Trump tax cuts will be extended—the projected cost drops to $508 billion.
The bill’s proposed $930 billion cut to Medicaid funding is also a primary driver of opposition. The CBO projects this reduction in federal support would result in 11.8 million more people being uninsured by 2034. While defenders like Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) claim the cuts target non-working individuals or undocumented immigrants, critics like Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) have labeled the bill a “political albatross” that harms millions to provide tax benefits for the wealthy.
Criticism of the legislation has also come from prominent figures outside of government. Tech billionaire Elon Musk posted on X that the bill “will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!”.
Following the extended reading, the next big beautiful bill update will come from a lengthy, open-ended amendment process known as a “vote-a-rama.” This procedure allows the minority party to force numerous politically challenging votes. According to negotiators like Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a final vote on the bill’s passage is not expected until Monday.
