President Donald Trump’s massive domestic policy bill, dubbed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” (OBBB), cleared the U.S. Senate in dramatic fashion Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting the decisive tie-breaking vote in a 51-50 split.
The bill’s passage marks a significant milestone for Trump’s legislative agenda—but not the end of the fight.
The final tally revealed fractures within the Republican Party. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) broke ranks, citing concerns over spending, government overreach, and the bill’s long-term fiscal impact. Still, Senate Majority Leader John Thune managed to hold the line through days of tense negotiations, culminating in a record-breaking, 24-hour vote-a-rama that saw dozens of amendments proposed and defeated.
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A Knife-Edge Vote in the House
While Senate Republicans celebrated the win, the bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where its future is far from certain. The lower chamber must now reconcile its own version of the bill with the Senate-passed draft, which includes deeper cuts to Medicaid and several other contentious changes that were introduced to appease fiscal conservatives.
The House originally passed a narrower version of the bill in May after fierce intra-party negotiations. But with the Senate’s amendments now added—some of which House Republicans view as politically and economically toxic—resistance has hardened.
Speaker Mike Johnson, navigating one of the narrowest majorities in modern history, can afford to lose just three GOP votes if he hopes to push the Senate version through without Democratic support. That challenge is compounded by the fact that several House Republicans only voted for the initial bill reluctantly, and have since voiced discomfort with the Senate’s changes.
Among the most vocal opponents is Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who took to social media to blast what he called the Senate’s attempt to “jam the House” with a rushed vote ahead of Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.
“Rumor is Senate plans to jam the House with its weaker, unacceptable OBBB before 7/4,” Roy posted on X. “This is not a surprise but it would be a mistake… I would not vote for it as it is.”
Roy’s comments reflect a broader sentiment among House hardliners who remain uneasy about the bill’s projected $3 trillion impact on the federal deficit over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Many also object to the perceived use of artificial deadlines to pressure lawmakers into swallowing politically risky measures.
A Contentious Senate Process
The path to Tuesday’s Senate passage was anything but smooth. The vote-a-rama—an exhausting, round-the-clock amendment process—saw Democrats force votes on issues like Medicaid cuts, green energy subsidies, and tax policy in an attempt to draw GOP senators into controversial stances. Though none of the amendments succeeded in fundamentally changing the bill, they gave Democrats ammunition to use in future campaign ads and public messaging.
Republican leadership, meanwhile, scrambled behind closed doors to keep wavering members from defecting. Their success in doing so—albeit by the narrowest of margins—gave Trump a much-needed legislative victory after weeks of criticism from conservatives and centrists alike.
Trump Increases Pressure
Trump has been lobbying aggressively for the bill’s passage, making it clear that he expects results before the July 4 holiday.
“To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK,” Trump posted last week on Truth Social, signaling that failure to pass the bill could cost lawmakers political capital—and possibly re-election.
Now, with the bill through the Senate, Trump is expected to double down on pressuring the House. The question is whether Speaker Johnson can hold his fragile coalition together long enough to deliver a win.
The legislation is the most sweeping domestic policy package proposed under Trump’s second term and seeks to cement his economic and social legacy. It includes an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, new infrastructure spending, cuts to Medicaid, and scaled-back funding for green energy programs. The bill also envisions a simplified tax filing system and new deductions for families and businesses.
Its size—estimated at more than $3.5 trillion over a decade—makes it one of the largest peacetime spending packages in U.S. history. It has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, with warnings that it will significantly worsen the national debt, especially as interest payments on existing obligations continue to climb.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who briefly headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with curtailing government waste and excess spending, is currently feuding with Trump because of the bill.
In a scathing post on Monday afternoon, Musk wrote on X: “Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame. And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
The House is expected to take up the bill as early as Wednesday, but with the GOP split and opposition mounting, a smooth passage is far from guaranteed. Trump’s allies are already threatening primary challenges against dissenting Republicans, while Democrats are preparing to use the bill’s provisions—and its cost—to frame the GOP as fiscally reckless ahead of the 2026 midterms.