UPDATE: The bill passed 51-50, with Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Susan Collins (R-ME) betraying the party.
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It’s already bad enough that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forced Senate clerks to read the reconciliation bill in its entirety, a tantrum of sorts to delay the inevitable. It’s also a little smart—he knows the longer this bill festers, the greater the likelihood the one big, beautiful bill could go down. There are already two “no” votes with Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rand Paul (R-KY). Three defections mean Vice President JD Vance needs to be around to break a tie. Four votes sink the bill. The people causing a ruckus should be remembered.
After 16 hours of recitation, the vote-a-rama began, with numerous amendments being shot down because the Democrat Senate Parliamentarian took a hatchet to the bill. The AI moratorium also led to internal drama, as Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) clashed over government regulation of this technology. Yet, the true troublemakers will be remembered, as they’ve forgotten the axiom of perfect being the enemy of the good when it comes to bills.
There are criticisms of the bill, but it provides tax cuts, fully funds President Trump’s immigration initiatives, and enacts much-needed reforms to welfare. We've hit some snags along the way, thanks to a Harry Reid-installed Senate Parliamentarian. Still, what’s the problem with the bill's objectives?
As Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Monday night, “I am sick and tired of the lies about this bill ... This is the most conservative bill in my lifetime — tax cuts, defense, border security, homeland security, welfare reform, and the largest spending cut in one bill that has ever been enacted.”
.@StephenM: "I am SICK and TIRED of the lies about this bill ... This is the most conservative bill in my lifetime — tax cuts, defense, border security, homeland security, welfare reform, and the largest spending cut in one bill that has ever been enacted." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pGT4DwBwrG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 1, 2025
Russell Vought, the OMB director, also voiced his position ahead of the crucial vote:
Some perspective as we complete Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The same game is being played by the so-called fiscal watchdogs to mislead the public by not assuming the continuance of current tax law. Remember, those saying that the Senate bill increases deficits…
— Russ Vought (@russvought) July 1, 2025
Some perspective as we complete Senate passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The same game is being played by the so-called fiscal watchdogs to mislead the public by not assuming the continuance of current tax law. Remember, those saying that the Senate bill increases deficits are comparing it to a projection where spending is eternal, and tax relief sunsets. That is a Leftist presupposition, and thankfully the Senate refused to let the bill be scored that way. The Senate bill does include more tax relief than extending current law, and more than the House, but it is paid for by the $1.6 trillion in savings from spending reforms in the bill. It was also done to provide more certainty to businesses and respond to the same critics who were saying the sunsets were artificial. More to come tomorrow, but this bill reduces deficits over the next ten years, even if you ignore increased revenues from dynamic growth. And importantly, the $1.6 trillion in spending reductions exceeds the bicameral framework agreed to prior to final passage of the budget resolution with Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune.
Get with the program, Republicans. Three core objectives are embedded in this legislation. Without it, consider everything you want to do dead—there’s no coming back from a body blow of sinking the bill. All it will do is increase the chances of Democrats retaking Congress and forcing us to oppose a $30 trillion spending bill. You can have principles, Rand. I get it, but no one cares if you lose. You’re ranting about deficits—imagine what Senate Democrats will propose if they’re in charge. This is the window to accomplish something significant that will benefit the country, foster an environment for economic growth, and secure our border permanently.
Only our side is incapable of seeing the long game, the endzone from the goal line, and the inability to use and maximize institutional power to bulldoze our political enemies.
As I’m writing this, it’s now midnight. Pass the damn bill, you idiots.
