Republicans advance Trump’s sweeping spending bill

The U.S. Senate, under Republican control, has voted to move forward with President Donald Trump’s flagship legislation, nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill.” The measure cleared its initial procedural step in a narrow 51-49 vote, with two Republican senators siding with Democrats in opposition.

The vote followed intensive backroom talks led by Republican leadership and Vice President JD Vance, who aimed to secure support from hesitant party members. Trump is urging for the bill to be passed and signed into law by July 4, aligning with U.S. Independence Day celebrations.

The proposed legislation, titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, spans 940 pages and was released just before midnight Friday. Lawmakers are still analyzing its full impact. Key provisions include $150 billion in increased military spending, expanded funding for mass deportations, and new allocations for the construction of a border wall. To offset these costs, the bill introduces deep cuts to Medicare and federal clean energy programs.

With Democrats unified in opposition, the bill’s fate rests entirely on Republican support. During Saturday’s vote, Republican Senators Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson, and Rand Paul initially opposed the measure. However, after late-night negotiations, Johnson changed his vote, leaving only Tillis and Paul in dissent.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the process, noting the bill was introduced “in the dead of night” and pushed forward without full transparency. He ordered the entire text to be read aloud in the chamber, a process expected to last over 15 hours. Schumer also warned of severe consequences for average Americans, including higher living costs and reduced access to healthcare, due to historic cuts to Medicaid and tax breaks favoring the wealthy.

If approved by the Senate, the bill will return to the House of Representatives, where Republican leaders face significant internal opposition. The proposed cuts to Medicaid, in particular, could endanger rural hospitals and strip healthcare access from over 8.6 million people.

The bill also seeks to reverse several clean energy tax incentives introduced under President Joe Biden. Independent analysts estimate it could increase the national debt currently at $36.2 trillion by several trillion dollars and trigger a major shift in wealth from low-income Americans to the ultra-rich.

Public opinion polls show widespread disapproval of the bill across different age, income, and demographic groups.

On Saturday, billionaire Elon Musk, who recently criticized the bill and clashed publicly with Trump, renewed his condemnation, calling the legislation “utterly insane and destructive.”