Shirley Lewis, a Jawonio Day Services participant, was among the Medicare recipients, healthcare workers, and caregivers who gathered with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at Helen Hayes Hospital in Haverstraw, N.Y. April 17, 2025. Schumer spoke about how cuts to Medicaid will affectrecipients as Republicans in Congress vote to enact cuts to the program as well as to other social safety net programs.
Washington D.C. – As the Fourth of July deadline looms, the Republican-led Senate advanced President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax, spending, and deportation bill late Saturday, overcoming fierce opposition and deep divisions within its own ranks. With a 51-49 vote just before midnight — and Vice President JD Vance on hand to break a potential tie — the chamber approved a procedural motion, unlocking a marathon weekend of amendments and negotiations as GOP leaders push to deliver Trump’s legislative priority.
The 940-page bill is a massive package, cementing tax breaks dating back to Trump’s first term, adding new incentives such as eliminating taxes on tips, and devoting $350 billion to national security, including funding for a ramped-up deportation initiative. But at its core, the legislation slices funding for Medicaid, food stamps, and clean energy programs to offset roughly $3.8 trillion in tax breaks that would otherwise expire.
A fresh report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the plan would leave 11.8 million more Americans without health insurance by 2034. Those numbers sparked Republican defections, including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who said the bill’s Medicaid reductions could devastate care in his state, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. Both joined Democrats to vote no.
Still, the legislation advanced after hours of tense discussions on and off the Senate floor. Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, worked deep into the night to keep their coalition from fracturing, pulling holdouts into private huddles and promising tweaks to controversial cuts. Vance, now a fixture of Trump’s Capitol Hill strategy, personally rallied skeptical senators for the decisive vote.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the bill a “rush job” and accused Republicans of releasing it “in the dead of night” to avoid public scrutiny. He forced a full reading of the bill, stretching the Senate session into Sunday morning.
Environmental groups condemned the measure’s rollbacks of green energy investments. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon described the cuts as a “death sentence” for the nation’s solar and wind sectors. Meanwhile, conservative Republicans argued the legislation did not go far enough in cutting federal spending and vowed to press for more reductions during the amendment process.
The bill’s final shape remains uncertain. Senate Republicans made last-minute revisions after Senate rules blocked proposals like shifting food stamp funding to states or upending the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding. A controversial plan to cut Medicaid provider taxes — opposed for its threat to rural hospitals — was revived with a delayed start date and a $25 billion aid fund for struggling rural clinics.
The SALT deduction, a flashpoint for Republicans from high-tax states, was temporarily expanded to a $40,000 cap for five years, though critics on both sides said it may not survive the final vote.
If the Senate passes the bill, it will head back to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson told members to be ready to return from recess at a moment’s notice.
