US Senate begins vote on Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

The U.S. Senate has begun debating President Donald Trump’s 940-page ‘Big, Beautiful Bill,’ which proposes significant cuts to tax relief, healthcare, and food assistance programs. The session took place late Sunday night local time.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill would increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over the next decade. The CBO also warned that if enacted, by 2034 an additional 11.8 million Americans could lose their health insurance coverage. Republican leaders, however, have dismissed these estimates and aim to pass the bill by Friday, Independence Day.

Before the President can sign the bill into law, both chambers of Congress must agree on an identical version. On Saturday night, Republicans nearly secured enough votes in a procedural vote to advance the bill, though some GOP senators opposed it. Phone calls from Trump and visits by Vice President J.D. Vance helped rally support.

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis voted against the bill, citing extensive Medicaid cuts as his reason. He has stated he will not oppose the bill in a possible re-vote, after Trump threatened to back Tillis’s primary challenger as retaliation for his initial no vote. Trump praised this development on Truth Social, saying, “Great news! Senator Thom Tillis will not run for re-election.”

Meanwhile, other Senate Republicans are pressuring conservative members of the House of Representatives to push for even deeper cuts. Trump warned them, “Remember, you have to get re-elected. Don’t go too crazy!”

Senators may still propose amendments. If the bill becomes law, it would lower federal taxes while increasing spending on the military and border security.