US bond rating downgrade is telling, Republican congressman says
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., joins 'CUOMO' to talk about the GOP majority's continuing challenge in crafting a balanced federal budget as Moody's downgrades the government's credit rating. 'We have a spending problem in this country that we're going to have to address,' Zinke, an Appropriations Committee member, says. #Budget #Congress #Politics
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USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
Senate debates Trump's major tax, Medicaid, border bill after dramatic vote: Live updates
Hours of debate will be followed by likely hours of voting on what could be dozens of amendments. WASHINGTON – The Senate begins its marathon debate about President Donald Trump's package of legislative priorities as Republicans try to thread the needle for tax cuts, Medicaid reforms and border security funding with a narrow majority. The debate comes after a dramatic 51-49 vote June 28 that was held open for more than three and a half hours while a handful of Republican senators negotiated with Senate leaders, Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The victory meant the bill cleared a key hurdle for the success of Trump's domestic agenda for tax cuts and border security. Trump has urged Congress to complete the measure by July 4. After the vote, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, forced Senate clerks to read the entire 940-page bill rather than customarily waiving that chore. The debate that could last 20 hours before senators begin voting on what is expected to be dozens of amendments in a process nicknamed a "vote-a-rama" that could hours longer. Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, has said he is uncertain whether enough Republicans will support the final version of their bill to send it back to the House. "We'll find out," Thune said. Here is what has happened so far: Which Republicans voted against Trump's bill? The president blasts GOP lawmakers Trump took to his Truth Social platform to criticize the GOP lawmakers who voted against moving his major tax bill forward – Tillis and Paul. "Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America," Trump said. Trump had a shorter message for Paul, a longtime GOP lawmaker from Kentucky: "Did Rand Paul Vote 'NO' again tonight? What's wrong with this guy???" GOP senators raise – and some resolve – concerns about bill Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina were the only Republican votes against debating the bill as written. Paul, who golfed with Trump that afternoon, opposed the bill's spending levels. Tillis voiced concerns about Medicaid cuts costing his state tens of billions of dollars. Trump threatened to find a Republican primary opponent for Tillis in 2026. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, initially voted no on starting the debate. But he flipped his vote at the last minute rather than force a tie that Vice President JD Vance was on hand to break. GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida were the last to vote, each saying yes after hours of talks with leadership. Along the way, Lee withdrew a contentious provision that Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, threatened to oppose the legislation over. − Bart Jansen Elon Musk called bill 'political suicide' for hurting jobs, economy Billionaire Elon Musk, Trump's former adviser on cutting government spending, fired off another set of attacks against the president's legislative package for potentially killing millions of jobs. Musk had quieted his harsh criticism of Trump and the legislation the week after his departure from government May 30. But he blasted the bill again as the Senate prepared to debate it. 'The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!' Musk said June 28 on social media. 'Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.' Musk added another post warning the GOP of the electoral risks if they vote for the Trump-backed legislation that is not polling well with Republicans. −Bart Jansen What's in the Senate version of Trump's bill? The largest provisions in the legislation would extend expiring tax cuts and create a few new ones, and a dramatic increasing in spending on border security. The heart of the legislation would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts which are set to expire at end of the year. Republicans have said defeat of the measure would lead to a $4 trillion tax hike over the next decade. New tax deductions Trump campaigned on would apply to tips for employees such as waiters through 2028 and for overtime pay. The Senate capped the deduction at $25,000 and weakened the break for individuals with income above $150,000. For border security, the bill would increase funding about $150 billion for the Department of Homeland Security. The bill authorizes $45 billion for new detention centers as Trump ramps up arrests and $27 billion for a mass deportation campaign. A crucial provision would increase the amount the country can borrow by $5 trillion. The country's debt is already approaching $37 trillion and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned the current limit on borrowing will be reached in Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican holdout on the bill, said he wouldn't vote for the bill unless the debt limit gets a separate vote. But Republican leaders want to keep the unpopular vote within the overall package. −Bart Jansen
40 minutes ago
Trump admin live updates: Trump celebrates Senate's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' vote
The dramatic vote lasted almost four hours. 11:47 President Donald Trump will continue to push the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" as Senate Republicans try to meet Trump's Fourth of July deadline for passage. On Saturday, after a vote lasting more than four hours, the Senate voted to advance the legislation, kicking off a lengthy process that GOP leadership hopes will end in its final passage. Trump celebrated the vote as a "great victory." Latest headlines: Jun 28, 2025, 11:23 PM EDT 'One Big Beautiful Bill' clears 1st procedural hurdle 51-49 after dramatic vote that lasted almost 4 hours Jun 28, 2025, 9:38 PM EDT Senate in a state of paralysis as procedural vote on 'One Big Beautiful Bill' hangs open on the floor Jun 27, 2025, 5:52 PM EDT Judge permanently blocks Trump's EO targeting law firm Susman Godfrey Jun 27, 2025, 2:42 PM EDT Trump says Senate working weekend on megabill, wants it sent to his desk before July Fourth Here's how the news is developing.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Trump megabill narrowly advances in Senate despite two GOP defections
Senate Republicans on Saturday narrowly voted to advance a sprawling 1,000-page bill to enact President Trump's agenda, despite the opposition of two GOP lawmakers. The vote was 51-49. Two Republicans voted against advancing the package: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposes a provision to raise the debt limit by $5 trillion and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who says the legislation would cost his state $38.9 trillion in federal Medicaid funding. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) changed his 'no' vote to 'aye,' and holdout Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) also voted yes to advance the bill. The bill had suffered several significant setbacks in the days and hours before coming to the floor, at times appearing to be on shaky ground. The vote itself was also full of drama. Signs of trouble started to pop up 50 minutes after the vote opened when three GOP senators who had expressed misgivings about the bill — Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Lee and Scott — still hadn't showed up on the Senate floor. Three other Republican senators, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Johnson, announced well in advance of the vote that they would oppose the motion to proceed and could not support the bill in its current form. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) stood along the back wall of the chamber — appearing somewhat nervous — waiting for his missing colleagues to arrive on the floor. Thune was surrounded by members of his leadership team, including Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), the deputy whip, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. When Murkowski finally appeared on the floor, she was quickly surrounded by Thune, Barrasso, Graham and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who barraged her on all sides with points and interjections. Then Murkowski walked away from the leadership group and sat down next to Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to have a quiet tête-à-tête. Murkowski eventually voted in favor of advancing the measure, but the vote remained open. Almost three hours after the vote began, Johnson, Lee, Scott and Lummis walked out of Thune's office with Vice President Vance and headed to the Senate floor to cast the final votes to advance the bill. Earlier in the week, perhaps the most notable setback was a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian earlier this week that a cap on health care provider taxes, which is projected to save billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending, violated the Senate's Byrd Rule. GOP leaders were able to rewrite that provision for it to remain in the bill. And the legislation appeared in danger moments before vote when Sen. Tim Sheehy, a freshman Republican from Montana, threatened to vote against the motion to proceed if the bill included a provision championed by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) directing the Interior Department to sell millions of acres of public lands. Sheehy agreed at the last minute to vote for the legislation after GOP leaders promised he would get a vote on an amendment to strip the language forcing the sale of public lands from the bill. In the end, Thune pulled off a major victory by moving the legislation a big step closer to final passage. Thune hailed the legislation Saturday as a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver legislation to create a safer, stronger and more prosperous America.' He cited $160 billion to secure the borders and beef up immigration enforcement and $150 billion to increase the Pentagon's budget, as well as an array of new tax cuts in addition to the extension of Trump's expiring 2017 tax cuts. He pointed to the bill's elimination of taxes on tips and taxes on overtime pay for hourly workers as well as language allowing people to deduct auto loan interest when they buy a new car made in the United States. President Trump has set a July 4 deadline for Congress to get the bill to his desk. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) blasted his Republican colleagues for unveiling the 940-page Senate substitute amendment late Friday night, giving senators only a few hours to review the legislation before the vote. 'Hard to believe, this bill is worse, even worse than any draft we've seen thus far. It's worse on health care. It's worse on [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.] It's worse on the deficit,' he said. Schumer slammed Republicans for advancing the bill before having an official budgetary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. 'They're afraid to show how badly this will increases the deficit,' he said. 'Future generations will be saddled with trillions in debt.' A preliminary analysis by the Congressional Budget Office circulated by Senate Finance Committee Democrats Saturday estimates the bill will cut Medicaid by $930 billion, far more substantially than the legislation passed last month by the House. Tillis cited the impact on Medicaid as the reason he voted 'no' on the motion to proceed and plans to vote 'no' on final passage. 'I cannot support this bill in its current form. It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities,' he said in a statement. 'This will force the state to make painful decisions like eliminating Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands in the expansion population, and even reducing critical services for those in the traditional Medicaid population,' he warned. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a critical swing vote, said she voted to advance the legislation out of 'deference' to the GOP leader but warned that doesn't mean she will vote 'yes' on final passage. She said that Senate negotiators improved the legislation before releasing it Friday but added that she wants to make additional changes. 'Generally, I give deference to the majority leader's power to bring bills to the Senate floor. Does not in any way predict how I'm going to vote on final passage,' Collins told reporters. 'That's going to depend on whether the bill is substantially changed,' she said. 'There are some very good changes that have been made in the latest version but I want to see further changes and I will be filing a number of amendments.' Former senior White House advisor Elon Musk blasted the Senate bill on social media shortly before the vote, calling it full of 'handouts to industries of the past,' referring to the oil, gas and coal industries. 'The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country! Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future,' he wrote on X, the social media platform he owns. Schumer told Democratic senators before the vote that he would force the clerks to read the entire 1,000-page bill on the Senate floor, which is estimated to take up to 12 hours and delay the start of debate and the start of a marathon series of amendment votes, known as a vote-a-rama. It's unclear whether Republican senators will keep the Senate in session overnight Saturday into Sunday morning to have the bill read aloud on the floor, an exhausting process for the Senate floor staff. An overnight reading of the bill would leave the clerks and floor staff weary before senators are scheduled to hold 20 hours of debate on the legislation and then launch into a multi-hour vote-a-rama.
