The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” by President Donald Trump will now be included in the next discussion stage, increasing its chances of passing in the upcoming days, thanks to a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The measure passed its first procedural hurdle on Saturday, with two Republican senators joining all Democrats in supporting it. It is Trump’s top legislative priority.
After several hours of negotiations, Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade them to go ahead with a number of behind-closed-door negotiations.
By July 4th, the US’s Independence Day, Trump has pushed his party to pass the bill so that he can put it on his desk.
A senior White House official claimed that he was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office into the night.
Act One Big Beautiful Bill
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said the 940-page “Act One Big Beautiful Bill” was released shortly before midnight on Friday, and senators are still attempting to understand exactly what it means.
The bill provides a $150 billion boost to military spending, according to one of the clear points in the bill. Additionally, it provides funding for the construction of the border wall and mass deportations. He claimed that there have been cuts to Medicare and the Clean Energy funding program in order to receive this money.
The Senate has 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, according to the author. Democrats are currently overwhelmingly opposed to the bill. Every Republican vote will count, Hanna continued.
After hours of delay, the procedural vote on Saturday, which would start the megabill debate, commenced.
The legislation was then blocked by three Republican senators, including Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson, and Rand Paul, for more than three hours before coming to a standstill.
Senators Rick Scott, Mike Lee, and Cynthia Lummis, along with three others, negotiated into the night with Republican leaders in an effort to snag more money.
In the end, only Paul and Tillis were opposed by Republicans, and Wisconsin Senator Johnson received a no-vote.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York claimed that Republicans are rushing to pass the legislation before the general public is aware of its contents.
He immediately ordered the Senate to read the text in its entirety, which is expected to take 15 hours.
“Two-trillions of dollars will be owed to future generations.” Debt is abstract, but what does it mean for the typical American? raising your costs for home purchases, car purchases, and credit card purchases. Why do they do this, exactly? ” he inquired.
Why are they making the biggest Medicaid cuts in history? Just by focusing on Medicaid alone, it is now close to a trillion dollars, all to lower taxes for the ultra-rich and special interests.
Elon Musk raises new issues.
The bill would then go back to the House of Representatives for approval if it were to be approved in the Senate, where Republicans are facing severe opposition from within their own ranks.
The Medicaid cuts, which will threaten dozens of rural hospitals, and which are expected to obliterate an estimated 8.6 million Americans, have divided Republicans.
Additionally, the spending plan would reverse many of the renewable energy tax breaks that were instituted under Joe Biden, Trump’s predecessor.
According to nonpartisan analysts, the US government’s $ 36. 2 trillion debt would be increased by trillions under a version of Trump’s tax cut and spending bill. Additionally, they claim that the bill will allow for the first-ever redistribution of wealth between the richest 10% of Americans.
According to extensive recent polling, the bill is unpopular with different demographic, age, and income groups.
Elon Musk, the billionaire who Trump had a public disagreement with this month over his criticism of the bill, once more rebuffed his criticism of the draft legislation on Saturday.
The package was described as “utterly insane and destructive,” according to the CEO of Space X and Tesla.
He wrote on X, “The most recent Senate draft bill will destroy millions of American jobs and severely harm our country.” It severely harms future industries while handing out resources to those in the past.
Source: Aljazeera
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