Gladness Gideon
U.S. senators endured a marathon legislative session Tuesday as Republicans pushed forward with President Donald Trump’s massive spending bill, a controversial $4.5 trillion proposal set to extend tax cuts, expand military funding, and support hardline immigration measures — while slashing health care benefits for millions.
Dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” by Trump, the sweeping 940-page legislation has drawn fierce criticism for what analysts call a historic redistribution of wealth — cutting over $1 trillion in social programs and ballooning the national debt by more than $3.3 trillion over the next decade.
Trump, eyeing a symbolic legislative victory ahead of Independence Day, is pressuring lawmakers to deliver the bill to his desk by Friday. However, progress has slowed under the weight of a “vote-a-rama,” the Senate’s procedural free-for-all where members can propose unlimited amendments before final passage. The session had stretched into its 17th hour by early Tuesday.
In a string of late-night posts on Truth Social, Trump hailed the legislation as “perhaps the greatest and most important of its kind in history,” warning that failure to pass it would result in “a whopping 68 percent tax increase, the largest in history.”
While Republicans hold a narrow Senate majority, internal fractures are emerging. Moderates and conservatives alike are voicing concern, especially over provisions stripping Medicaid funding and slashing Affordable Care Act subsidies — measures projected to leave nearly 12 million Americans uninsured by 2034.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of “deliberately slow-walking” the process. “They don’t like these amendments. The public is on our side in almost every amendment we do,” Schumer said.
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Outside Congress, Trump’s former ally and tech magnate Elon Musk — who led the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency — reignited his criticism, branding the bill a path to “debt slavery.” Musk, who recently severed ties with Trump, renewed his call for a third-party movement, accusing Republicans of betraying fiscal conservatives.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt urged GOP lawmakers to “stay tough and unified,” signaling the administration’s resolve despite deepening divisions in both chambers.
Though Senate passage appears likely, the bill faces a tougher road in the House of Representatives. With a razor-thin Republican majority, Speaker Mike Johnson must navigate dissent from both fiscal hawks demanding deeper cuts and moderates concerned about the bill’s political fallout.
A House vote could occur as early as Wednesday. Whether Trump’s legislative gamble will hold through the final hurdle remains to be seen.