The “Big Beautiful Bill” Passes the Senate and Moves to the House

Senate

The Senate has voted to pass President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”, sending the vote to the House.

The Senate passed its version of the bill by a vote of 51-50. Vice President J.D. Vance was the deciding vote. Senators cast 49 votes in a session that lasted 27 hours. 

Three Republicans in the Senate voted “no” on the bill. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Tax Cuts

“Largest Tax Cuts in History and a Booming Economy vs. Biggest Tax Increase in History, and a Failed Economy,” President Trump said on Truth Social. “What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove???”

Many Republicans were on the fence but ultimately decided to vote in favor of passing the bill. One of these was Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Provisions to ease Medicaid cuts in Alaska were promised but ultimately did not materialize.

Murkowski was no longer a sure “yes” vote, but after going into a side room with other Republican leaders, she decided to vote in favor of the bill.

Now that the bill has passed in the Senate, it has moved to the House. While many Republicans in the House were expected to vote no, provisions have been made in the bill to flip votes.

GOP Representatives

Many GOP. Representatives who were expected to vote no, such as Thomas Massie from Kentucky and Ralph Norman from South Carolina, eventually decided to bring the bill to the floor.

The vote to advance the bill on Thursday morning was 219-213. The only Republican Rep. to vote no was Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson acknowledged that Republicans could lose Fitzpatrick’s vote in the final passage.

“I talked with him at length. Brian is a great, good, trusted friend, and he just has convictions about certain provisions in the bill. He’s entitled to that,” Johnson said.

Despite losing Fitzpatrick’s vote, the bill is largely expected to pass the final vote and go into effect.

What’s in the “Big Beautiful Bill?”

With the “Big Beautiful Bill” expected to pass by the July 4 deadline set by President Trump, there are large changes expected to alter American lives. 

The bill has its fair share of detractors, including Minority Leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries, who referred to the bill while speaking to the House as “one big, ugly bill.”

President Trump and many Republicans, however, believe the bill will positively affect American lives.

The bill features around $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, making the existing tax brackets and rates permanent. There will also be no taxes on tips or overtime pay. Corporations will receive massive tax breaks, with businesses being able to write off the costs of equipment and research. 

Congressional Budget

Overall, the analysis from the Congressional Budget Office is that wealthier Americans would see a $12,000 increase, while poorer Americans would see a $1,600 decrease per year.

The bill would also provide massive funding for President Trump’s border and national security agenda. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would see an increase in funding and hiring.

Border security has been a staple of both President Trump’s campaign and time in office.

“The Men and Women of Border Patrol, ICE, and CBP are doing an amazing job but, they need more help,” President Trump said on Truth Social. “They are counting on Republicans to, GET IT DONE!”

Estimates

Other changes the bill will bring are cuts to Medicaid, which would now include an 80-hour per week work requirement. The CBO estimates that just under 12 million Americans in 10 years could become uninsured.

Tax breaks that the Biden Administration put toward clean energy will be rolled back, including rolling back the tax break on Americans who buy electric vehicles.

Overall, the cost of the bill is expected to be around $3.3 trillion by 2034.