Big Beautiful Bill update: Timeline, summary, and latest polling as Senate vote-o-rama starts today
Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working to pass President Trump's controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A marathon session of voting in the U.S. Senate, known in Washington as a 'vote-o-rama,' is expected to begin on Monday, according to CNN. But just what is in the bill, when will it become law, and how do Americans feel about it? Here's what you need to know.
What's in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act?
This isn't an easy one to answer simply because the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is so large. In its current form, it spans around 940 pages and is packed with everything from tax breaks for the rich to changes to Medicare to defense spending.
Few people have actually read the entire One Big Beautiful Bill Act—including many of the Senators who are expected to vote on it this week. And that's a bad thing, because when new laws are this sprawling and the changes so sweeping, they often result in unforeseen negative impacts.
There are at least hundreds of changes to U.S. law in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but some of the most dramatic changes revolve around tax cuts for the rich, largely paid for by cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program designed to provide healthcare to America's most poor and needy.
Citing estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), PBS has a good rundown of some of the major elements of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some of those elements are:
$3.8 trillion in tax cuts, with the wealthy and corporations benefiting the most.
$350 billion for border and national security spending.
Medicaid and other government healthcare and social services cuts would result in 10.9 million Americans losing their health insurance coverage, and 3 million Americans losing their access to food stamps.
The elimination of a $200 tax on gun silencers.
A provision that would deter individual U.S. states from regulating artificial intelligence.
$40 million in funding to establish a 'National Garden of American Heroes.'
When will the One Big Beautiful Bill Act become law?
There are several remaining steps that the bill needs to go through to become law. Earlier this month, the House passed its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, Senate Republicans disagreed with many elements of the House version of the bill and have been making revisions to it in their chamber. Those revisions are ongoing.
Meanwhile, President Trump has also set an arbitrary timeline for when he desired the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to be passed. The deadline Trump stated is Friday, July 4.
Yet it is precisely this artificial deadline that has many worrying that lawmakers will not take the time they need to fully examine the bill's elements and consider the long-term consequences it may have on Americans.
Republicans, of course, may still not agree on a new version of the bill, which could mean that Trump's July 4 deadline could come and go. For now, here's what you may be able to expect as far as a timeline this week, per CNN:
Republicans need to get their party holdouts to support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it currently stands, or make changes to it that will satisfy the holdouts. This process may be completed on Monday, or it could stretch for several days.
Meanwhile, Democrats, who all universally oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will have their clerks read out the bill in Congress; this is estimated to take 10 to 15 hours due to the length of the bill and is being used as a stalling tactic. If any Republican Senators stick around for the bill's reading, it may be the first time some of them have actually heard what is in the entire 940-page bill.
A debate on the bill will follow the Democrats' reading of the bill.
A 'vote-a-rama' will then take place on the bill. This is where Senators vote on amendments to it. A lot of this 'vote-a-rama' will involve political theater, and as CNN notes, Democrats will likely use Republican Senators' votes during this process in campaign attack ads during the midterm elections next year.
Finally, there will be a vote on passing the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. No Democrats are expected to support the bill, and there may even be a few Republican holdouts, but it is believed that Republicans will still have enough votes in the Senate to pass it.
However, just because the Senate passes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act doesn't mean it becomes law. The bill would then need to return to the House for a vote. If it passes the House, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would then become law with the president's signature.
As for whether all this can be accomplished by July 4, that remains to be seen.
What do Americans think of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Most Americans don't like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including many Republicans and even self-identified MAGA supporters.
The nonpartisan nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released the results of its comprehensive polling on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on June 17. Those results showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans viewed the bill unfavorably.
When KFF asked Americans if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the results were clear:
64% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
That unfavorability number jumps to 85% of Americans who identify as Democrats
Among Independent voters, 71% of Americans view the bill unfavorably
But what's really interesting is the view of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act from Americans who identify themselves as Republicans:
While KFF found that just 36% of Republicans view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably, that number is massively different depending on whether the Republican identifies themselves as a MAGA supporter or a non-MAGA supporter.
Yet even among MAGA supporters, more than a quarter of them—27%—view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably.
And when it comes to non-MAGA Republicans, the numbers are much worse. A full 66% of non-MAGA Republicans view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably.
If so many American voters across parties view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably, why are Republicans rushing to pass the bill? That's a question they'll have to answer to their Republican voters during next year's Midterm elections.
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