The House is debating whether to pass the Senate’s version of President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill.”
The session began with an extensive stalling attempt from Democrats, who lined up to request a guard against any cuts to Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Recommended Stories
- Democrats stall 'big, beautiful bill' debate with 'UC Storm'
- The House Republicans who could defect to sink Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
- List: The members of the House and Senate who have said they won't seek reelection
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) can only afford to lose three Republican votes with everyone present, as all Democrats are expected to vote against it. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) have already indicated they will vote against the bill.
The House Rules Committee advanced the One Big Beautiful Bill Act early Wednesday morning after hours of debate. Republicans will have a long day ahead as they try to pass the legislation before the July 4 deadline.
TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ TAX BILL CLEARS SENATE AFTER GOP REBELLION FORCES VANCE TIEBREAKER
The committee’s meeting came shortly after the Senate approved the bill early Tuesday afternoon in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tiebreaking vote. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Susan Collins (R-ME) were the three Republican defectors.
Tillis objected to the bill over its Medicaid reforms, and Paul voiced opposition because the bill “explodes” the debt. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the legislation will increase the deficit by some $3.3 trillion over the next decade.
Now, the legislation goes back to the lower chamber, where House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other GOP leaders are corralling votes. The House narrowly passed the bill last month in a 215-214 vote, and now that several modifications have been made to the text, more than two dozen House members are currently holdouts.
House GOP leadership could face a few problems as they look to gather the votes needed to get the bill through final passage, including fiscal hawks who aren’t pleased that many of the cuts passed in the House bill were axed by the Senate parliamentarian.
After hours of negotiations, Senate Republicans voted 51-49 late Saturday night to advance the GOP megabill. As part of Democrats’ opposition, Schumer then forced Senate clerks to read aloud the 940-page bill on the chamber floor, a procedural tactic that took nearly 16 hours from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon.
The vote-a-rama also made history: The previous record for the most roll-call votes was 44 during a vote-a-rama in 2008, but Democrats, with the help of some Republicans, appeared to break that record on Tuesday. Around 7:30 a.m., senators took their 45th roll-call vote after counting a pair of procedural votes that started the session on Monday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed Democrats would bring “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor” as they looked to stall the bill. Republicans also offered some amendments of their own, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) stripping her own provision over artificial intelligence regulation after a deal over the amendment fell through.