It may have taken over 20 hours of grueling negotiation, but the U.S. Senate has passed Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.” On July 1st, the extensive, 940-page act made it to the finish line after a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President J.D. Vance.
The vote came in 51-50 following an overnight session with proposed amendments by lawmakers. Republican leaders raced against the clock ahead of the July 4th deadline, though three Republican Senators, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, opposed the bill. In Wisconsin, senators have mixed notions about the bill.
“By passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we have avoided a $4 trillion automatic tax increase and a default on our debt,” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson, “due to the enormous messes Biden and congressional Democrats left us, we are also providing additional funding for border security and defense.”
Democratic Senator Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin disagreed with Johnson’s stance and the bill, saying she was disappointed, disgusted, and had voted against rigging the tax code in favor of big corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
“This bill does not solve the problems that Wisconsin families are facing - in fact, it makes them worse,” said Baldwin, “instead of standing up for these working families, my Republican colleagues jammed through a bill that guts Medicaid, kicks 17 million Americans off their health insurance, shutters rural hospitals, and takes food from families in need. And why? All to rig our already unfair tax code even more to help the rich get richer.”
The goal of the bill is said to reduce taxes, increase the statutory debt limit, and control funding for various federal programs. You can read the full bill here.
Legislation will now return to the United States House of Representatives. While different versions of the bill have been passed by both chambers, the House will need to send the bill directly to President Trump for his signature to adopt the Senate version. If the House proposes changes, Republican leaders will have to obtain support for final votes in the House and Senate as a compromise.
