The Senate passed the sweeping policy bill after a marathon debate and vote session that started late Saturday. The bill now heads back to the House.
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate passed its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act at midday on July 1 after a “vote-a-rama” that began the previous day and continued through the night.
Vice President JD Vance broke a 50–50 tie to secure passage of the bill.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted in opposition.
Other holdouts, including Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), ultimately supported the legislation despite misgivings.
Moderate Republicans had been concerned that proposed cuts to Medicaid were too steep, while fiscal conservatives have criticized the bill for not cutting enough spending.
Through the night, Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) labored to find agreement among the Republican caucus members, several of whom had submitted amendments to tailor the bill to their liking. The final Senate bill represents weeks of compromise and deal-making among Republicans, which culminated in this narrow victory.
The passage is a significant political win for President Donald Trump, enacting provisions for critical elements of his second-term agenda, including increased border security, the extension of the 2017 tax cuts, rescinding so-called green-energy tax credits, and no tax on tips or overtime.
The bill now moves to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) now faces the difficult task of corralling both the conservatives and the moderates within his narrow majority in support of the bill.
Congress had been racing to pass the bill through both chambers by a self-imposed deadline of Independence Day, a goal that now seems in doubt as the legislation returns to the House for consideration. But Trump on July 1 suggested he was open to delaying the deadline.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the vote, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said it would be “a challenge to get it all done by July 4.”
Johnson, meanwhile, told reporters he was “very hopeful that we’ll get the job done,” though he avoided promising passage within the next two days.
