Republicans in the US Senate narrowly passed Donald Trump’s massive tax and spending measure after hours of deadlock, clearing one of the main obstacles to the proposed legislation. After more than twenty-four hours of discussion, Vice-President JD Vance delivered a tie-breaking vote to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
It now returns to the lower house, the House, where it continues to encounter further resistance. House Republicans approved a previous version by a single vote. Trump had given the Republican-controlled Congress until July 4th to provide a final draft of the measure to him so he could sign it into law.
On Tuesday afternoon, Vance said, “The bill as amendment is passed.” Senate Republicans applauded, while Democrats fell into their chairs and shook their heads in displeasure. Republicans have been hampered by disagreements about the deficit, social programs, and spending levels, which led Trump to acknowledge that it would be “very hard” to approve the package by the deadline.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune lost three Republicans in the close vote: Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Susan Collins of Maine, despite his best attempts to rally the party. Paul, Tillis, and Collins voted against the measure along with all other Democrats.
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