President Donald Trump is getting closer to codifying the first landmark legislation of his second term, but the fight is not over.
After a record-breaking 27-hour voting marathon, the Senate narrowly passed Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in a 51-50 vote. Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote after three Senate Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Rand Paul of Kentucky — voted against the legislation.
‘This performative theatre won’t solve the problem.’
The bill is now headed back to the House, where lawmakers will scramble to meet the president’s ambitious July 4 deadline.
This deadline will not be easy to meet. During the drawn-out vote-a-rama, several key provisions failed to make it into the Senate’s final draft, raising concerns among House Republicans.
RELATED: GOP-controlled Senate keeps taxpayer dollars flowing to criminal aliens after parliamentarian’s ruling
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Several Republicans were outraged about one provision in particular. The Senate rejected an amendment that would reduce Medicaid funding for states that offer the social program to criminal aliens after the parliamentarian ruled against the provision, increasing the vote threshold from a simple majority to 60 votes.
RELATED: Republicans rage over Senate’s ‘watered-down’ version of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“If the Senate won’t do their job, DHS MUST,” Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said of the amendment. “Because this performative theatre won’t solve the problem. It’s great messaging, but it does nothing.”
“Illegals should not get Medicaid,” Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said in a post on X. “This should not have to be said.”
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Jd vance, Donald trump, Thom tillis, Mike johnson, Big beautiful bill, Reconciliation, Senate republicans, Senate democrats, Susan collis, Rand paul, Illegal aliens, Wesley hunt, Anna paulina luna, Politics
