Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is pulling out every procedural maneuver to drag out the review of President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” by forcing a full, page-by-page reading on the Senate floor. This is a classic liberal delay tactic aimed at bogging down Republican momentum and distracting from real issues, suggesting that Schumer doesn't want swift action on reforms that the American people support.
On Saturday, Schumer is set to order clerks to read aloud all 940 pages of the Republicans’ sweeping megabill on the Senate floor. The tactic is designed to eat up valuable time following a crucial GOP-backed procedural vote that would officially kick off debate. This move could stall progress on President Trump’s legislative agenda for as long as 15 hours, pushing final passage well into the next day.
“I will object to Republicans moving forward on their Big, Ugly Bill without reading it on the Senate floor," Schumer wrote on X. "Republicans won’t tell America what’s in the bill. So Democrats are forcing it to be read start to finish on the floor. We will be here all night if that’s what it takes to read it.”
After the full reading of the bill, the Senate will kick off 20 hours of debate, split evenly between the two parties, and is expected to begin early Sunday. Democrats plan to use their full time to hammer their points home, while Republicans are likely to use far less. Once that wraps, the chamber will move into a chaotic amendment marathon known as “vote-a-rama,” where senators can flood the floor with endless proposed changes to Trump’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
This comes as Republicans race to pass the president's sweeping tax-and-spending package ahead of his July 4 deadline. It remains uncertain whether Senate Republicans have the necessary support to move forward with their version of the spending package. With only a slim margin for dissent, they can’t afford more than three defections — and three GOP senators, Rand Paul (Ky.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), and Thom Tillis (N.C.) have already pledged to vote against it.
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