By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WZMQ 19 News) – The U.S. Senate has passed President Trump’s massive legislative agenda, known as the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” However, the work is far from over.
Senators passed the bill after a more than 24-hour session as they considered dozens of proposed amendments. After weeks in the making and an all-night “vote-a-rama,” it was a success for Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Republicans.
President Trump’s so-called “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” passed the upper chamber around noon on Tuesday, thanks to a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance.
The bill passed despite three GOP ‘no’ votes from Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), and a resurfacing of criticism from Elon Musk. Other Republicans, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), were on the fence, but during last night’s vote-a-rama—which saw a record-breaking 45 amendments— several last-minute concessions and changes were made to appease holdouts. These included easing up on a tax credit phase-out for solar and wind projects and boosting funding for a rural hospital fund from $25 million to $50 million over five years.
“Pennsylvania’s families and workers will see significant benefits from this bill – from an increase to the Child Tax Credit to making permanent the doubling of the standard deduction and the Employer Paid Family and Medical Leave tax credit. Most importantly, this bill stops the largest tax increase in American history by making the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, saving the average Pennsylvania family $2,500 each year while also giving workers no tax on tips and no tax on overtime. Finally, we made a positive step forward on school choice,” said Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) in a statement following the bill’s passage. “No bill is perfect, but these provisions will make a real difference in the lives of people working hard to make ends meet and raise their families across the Commonwealth.”
In regard to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the Senate version is estimated to result in nearly 12 million more uninsured people by 2034, versus nearly 11 million more under the House bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Senate Democrats immediately blasted the Senate’s passage of the bill.
“The bill that Republicans just passed will rip health care away from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders, make it harder for families across the country to afford food and pay their energy bills, and balloon our deficit by trillions of dollars. Democrats did everything in our power to stop this legislation, but President Trump and Republicans in Congress are dead set on selling out hardworking Michiganders so they can pay for a massive tax cut for billionaires,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D- Mich.) in a statement Tuesday. “This bill is reckless, irresponsible, and an unconscionable betrayal of American families. I voted no.”
“After more than 25 hours on the Senate floor, I voted no on the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’ No matter which way you slice it – health care, energy, housing – the President just rammed through a bill that will make Michiganders pay in every part of their lives. All so the wealthiest among us can get a tax break,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D- Mich.). “History will not be kind to this bill, but it is important to remember it is not a done deal. It still has to be passed in the House. So, raise your voices about how it will impact you or your business or your community. Call your representatives. Keep pushing.”
Now, just weeks after narrowly passing the initial version, House Republicans will have to approve the Senate’s changes before the bill can be signed by President Trump, who has urged lawmakers to meet his July 4 deadline.
House Republicans are making their final push to pass the bill and deliver tax cuts and reform to other safety net programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“This bill ensures SNAP works the way Congress intended it to by reinforcing work, rooting out waste, and instituting long overdue accountability incentives to control costs and administrative overreach,” said Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
House Democrats are vowing to use every legislative tool at their disposal to delay passage of the domestic policy bill.
“Donald Trump won big. Ugly bill rips health care away from more than 17 million Americans. It represents the largest cut to Medicaid in American history,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY.) on Tuesday. “This dangerous and extreme Republican budget will result in Americans losing their lives because of the inability to access health care coverage.”
The House Rules Committee was ready to go and kicked off the process to advance the bill shortly after it passed the Senate. House members have been called back to Washington for 9 o’clock Wednesday morning.
