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Senate moves forward with marathon debate on Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill,’ as president celebrates vote as a ‘great victory’

The vote generated, as expected, polarized reactions from lawmakers of both parties. The Senate is now debating the bill in a 20-hour day marathon.

U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump.Nicolas Tucat / AFP

Agustina Blanco
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After a long day, finally, on Saturday night, the U.S. Senate narrowly passed 51 to 49 a key vote to advance the "Big, Beautiful Bill," a massive piece of legislation pushed by President Donald Trump.

Now the Senate is debating the bill and another particularly long day of about 20 hours awaits.

Saturday's vote

The vote, which followed party lines, marked a significant step toward implementing Trump's agenda, and generated, as expected, polarized reactions from lawmakers in both parties.

President Trump celebrated the vote as a "great victory" on his Truth Social platform, praising senators like Johnson, Scott, Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming) as "patriots" who "really love our country."

He also stressed that the bill will boost the economy, reduce wasteful spending, protect the border, support the military and veterans, reform Medicaid and defend the Second Amendment.

Democrats' reaction

On the other hand, Democrats expressed strong opposition. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, called the bill "radical" and criticized its early-morning introduction, saying Republicans hoped the public would not notice its contents. "If Senate Republicans won’t tell the American people what’s in this bill, then Democrats are going to force this chamber to read it from start to finish," he declared.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, also spoke out against it, posting a video on her X account where she claimed Democrats were working "all night" to oppose the bill.

"We need to use every single second we can to fight back against Trump’s bill," she said.

Republican enthusiasm

In contrast, Republicans expressed enthusiasm. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, said he was "proud" to work with Trump to advance the bill, which he said will put the nation on the path to a balanced budget after “years of Democrats’ reckless spending."

Scott emphasized his commitment to delivering on Trump's agenda to "make America great again."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, described the legislation as "significant" and noted that it will prevent a massive tax increase for families, secure the southern border, eliminate taxes on Second Amendment rights and guide the country toward fiscal sanity after the "frivolous spending" of the Biden Administration.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, who dramatically changed his vote from "no" to "yes," described the bill as a "necessary first step" to address fiscal sustainability and clean up what he called the "disaster" left by the Democratic administration.

"Biden and the Democrats left behind enormous messes that we are trying to clean up – an open border, wars, and massive deficits," Johnson said, noting his collaboration with Trump's economic team to put the nation on the path to fiscal stability.

Not all is rosy within the GOP

However, not all Republicans supported the measure. Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against moving forward with the debate, highlighting divisions within the party.

Tillis, in particular, explained his "no" vote by arguing that the Senate version included "significant changes" that led him to oppose it. On his X account, the Republican noted:

"The Senate version of the One Big Beautiful bill contains significant changes to Medicaid that would be devastating to North Carolina, and I cannot support it. The Senate should go back to the House’s commonsense approach to Medicaid reform to enact work requirements while protecting care for those who truly need it."

“La versión del Senado del proyecto de ley "One Big Beautiful" contiene cambios significativos a Medicaid que serían devastadores para Carolina del Norte, y no puedo apoyarla. El Senado debería retomar el enfoque sensato de la Cámara de Representantes para la reforma de Medicaid, implementando requisitos laborales y protegiendo al mismo tiempo la atención médica para quienes realmente la necesitan”.

Trump lashes out at Tillis

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) in two posts on Truth Social, accusing him of standing in the way of advancing the "Big, Beautiful Bill," the mega-bill currently facing a crucial vote in the Senate.

Trump noted that Tillis opposes what he describes as "the biggest tax cut in U.S. history," accusing him of backing a 68% tax increase and failing to understand the importance of extending the debt limit, an issue Republicans supported before the Nov. 5 election.

He also criticized Tillis for not supporting North Carolina's tobacco industry and for favoring Chinese-made wind energy projects, which the president said are costly and harmful to the landscape.

Trump also chastised Tillis for his absence during recovery efforts following the recent flooding in North Carolina, where the president claimed to have received an "A+ grade" for his response, while calling Tillis "missing in action."

In a defiant tone, Trump warned that Tillis' opposition to the bill, which includes proposals such as eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, as well as measures to strengthen border security, the military and sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, is a "big mistake" for the country and the citizens of North Carolina.

In a second release, Trump announced that he will be meeting in the coming weeks with potential candidates to run against Tillis in the Republican primary, seeking a representative who will best defend the interests of North Carolina and the United States.

The draft should be coming to the Oval Office soon

Trump has insisted that the Senate pass it by July 4 so it can become law.

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