Senate Narrowly Passes Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill as Vance Casts the Tie-Breaking Vote

‘Music to my ears,’ Trump says of its passage.

Senate Television via AP
In this image from video from Senate Television, Vice President Vance, seated center, breaks a 50-50 tie to push President Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill over the top, on the Senate floor, July 1, 2025. Senate Television via AP

President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act cleared the hurdle of the Senate with the help of Vice President Vance, and the legislation now heads back to the House.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 51-50 in favor of the legislation, with Mr. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. The final vote came after a marathon of 27 hours of votes on amendments to the bill. 

After hearing that the chamber passed the bill, Mr. Trump told reporters, “Wow, music to my ears.” Three Republican senators voted against the bill: Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, and Susan Collins. 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains large swaths of Mr. Trump’s agenda, such as making his 2017 tax cuts permanent. It also includes $46.5 billion for border wall construction and $29.9 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And it includes $25 billion for the president’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

The bill also implements Medicaid work requirements of 80 hours per month for able-bodied adults under the age of 65. It is projected to cut $170 billion in “waste, fraud, and abuse” from Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. 

Additionally, the bill rolls back clean energy tax credits from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is projected to save $488 billion.

The bill cuts roughly $1.5 trillion in spending.

However, the legislation has been harshly criticized by conservative Republicans who say it does not cut spending enough. The Congressional Budget Office projects it will add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. 

The former leader of DOGE, Elon Musk, has called the bill “utterly insane and destructive” and said it will “destroy millions of jobs in America.” In response, Mr. Trump said he will “look” into deporting Mr. Musk. 

Mr. Tillis opposed the bill due to the cuts to Medicaid. He said over the weekend that he would not seek re-election next year. Mr. Trump threatened to back a primary challenger. North Carolina is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races for Republicans in 2026. 

Mr. Paul said he objected to the bill because it included an increase in the debt ceiling. And Ms. Collins had raised concerns about the Medicaid cuts. 

The bill will now go back to the House, where Republicans have a narrow majority. Its fate is uncertain, as at least six Republicans have threatened to oppose the measure due to changes made in the Senate. Lawmakers in the lower chamber have also expressed concerns about the cuts to Medicaid, while others have said it does not cut spending enough.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use