Trump bill: JD Vance casts tie-breaking vote as Senate passes ‘big, beautiful’ bill

Key Points

• Tax and spending legislation will ramp up national debt and kick 11.8m off Medicaid
• Trump rejoices in ‘grandstanding’ rebel senator revealing he will not seek re-election
• Analysis: Trump and his ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ just put the Senate in play for Democrats
• Senate Republicans barely pass Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ after record-breaking all-nighter

Our live coverage has ended. Here's a full breakdown

As our live coverage comes to an end, the House Rules Committee is taking up the Senate-passed version of Trump’s domestic agenda.

If the measure passes out of the committee, the House is set to meet at 9am on Wednesday to start debating the legislation.

Republican leaders are expecting two votes: one procedural vote to pass the rule and another on final passage.

The timing of the votes remains unclear, as Democrats could hold up the process.

Here’s a full breakdown of the action in the Senate:

Senate Republicans pass Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ after overcoming hurdles

Debt ceiling deadline also looms

The Senate version of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” contains a $5 trillion debt ceiling increase — $1 trillion more than the House's bill — but failure to pass some version would present lawmakers with a serious deadline later this summer, when the Treasury Department could come close to exhausting its borrowing authority and thus risk a devastating default.

The debt limit increase has caused Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky to come out in opposition to the bill, joining fellow GOP lawmaker Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who decried its cuts to Medicaid and clean energy initiatives.

Democrats warn millions more could lose health insurance than previously believed

Millions of Americans face the prospect of losing their health insurance coverage, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and further research by Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee – Minority. Proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), alongside a new amendment, could strip coverage from nearly 30 million people.

The CBO’s analysis, released on June 27, found that cuts to Medicaid and the ACA initiated by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans would result in 17 million individuals losing their health insurance by 2034.

Further exacerbating this potential crisis, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has introduced an amendment that appears to dismantle Medicaid Expansion in nine states. These states have automatic "trigger laws" that are designed to immediately terminate the program if the federal matching percentage is reduced. The Joint Economic Committee – Minority has preliminarily concluded that, due to these trigger laws, Senator Scott’s amendment would lead to millions more losing coverage in these specific states. In total, nearly 20 million people across the country could lose their health insurance under the amended budget bill.

The deep cuts mandated by Senator Scott’s amendment could also compel other states to end their Medicaid Expansion programmes. Should all states currently operating statutory Medicaid Expansion cease their programmes due to the Scott amendment and other proposed Medicaid cuts in the Senate bill, a staggering 29 million people nationwide could be left without health insurance.

Watch: White House stresses importance of passing spending bill

"It's also incredibly important that we pass this One Big Beautiful Bill, which is the largest tax cuts in American history," says @PressSec.

"Under President Trump's leadership, Republicans are fighting tirelessly for every day, middle class, working Americans." pic.twitter.com/Q9qUuJWHQq

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 30, 2025

Q: "What is the White House's response to Sen. Tillis' criticism articulated from the Senate floor yesterday…?"
@PressSec: "He is just wrong and the president and the vast majority of Republicans who are supportive of this legislation are right. This bill protects Medicaid…" pic.twitter.com/r3mV1k6Oza

— CSPAN (@cspan) June 30, 2025

Democratic amendments systematically rejected

As a final Senate vote looms on Donald Trump’s spending bill, Republican senators have systematically rejected Democratic amendments designed to protect funding for crucial social programs.

The rejected proposals included measures to prevent cuts to rural hospitals, which would force them to limit services, and to stop the shifting of food stamp costs to states. Democrats also sought to strike any provision that would reduce Medicaid funding.

Despite the largely party-line votes, two Republican senators broke ranks. Senator Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats in an attempt to remove language that would compel rural hospitals to restrict their services. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also sided with Democrats on the rural hospital amendment, and on a separate motion to prevent states from bearing increased food stamp costs.

The rejections underscore the deep partisan divide ahead of the impending final vote on the bill, which includes significant tax and spending cuts.

Not one single Democrat will vote for the “big beautiful bill.”

I’m here to vote on these amendments and keep the ball rolling.

I’m a HARD NO on the final bill and won’t support cutting Medicaid, SNAP or adding up to $5T to our national debt.

— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 30, 2025

Thune and Johnson were at White House this morning

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says of the Trump-backed tax cut and spending bill seemingly about to clear Congress: “Republicans need to stay tough and unified during the home stretch, and we are counting on them to get the job done.”

Leavitt told reporters during her briefing that Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson were at the White House on Monday to discuss passing what Trump calls the “big, beautiful bill.”

Leavitt also said Trump was confident the bill would be passed and would be signed by the president at the White House by July 4, an informal deadline the president has been pushing for weeks.

Watch: White House says spending bill 'one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of legislation' ever

Q: Can you respond to the CBO estimate that the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion?

LEAVITT: This is one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of legislation that has ever made its way through Capitol Hill pic.twitter.com/f04GnPclFU

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 30, 2025

Despite what Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at today’s briefing, neither Speaker Mike Johnson nor Majority Leader John Thune were at the White House earlier.

Speaker Mike Johnson is not going to the White House and has not been there today, despite @PressSec report.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 30, 2025

Spokesman for Thune says the majority leader was not there this morning and has no plans to go to the White House today https://t.co/Y1OSXOEe12

— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) June 30, 2025

‘You people are awful’

A heckler interrupted a Senate debate on President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, yelling out “you people are awful”.

Representatives were holding a heated debate Sunday night that discussed Trump’s megabill, which proposes tax cuts, new Medicaid requirements, and SALT tax deductions, in a bid to inject cash into Trump’s rigorous immigration agenda and revised military budget.

The unidentified interrupter burst onto the Senate floor just after 7 p.m., just as Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders had concluded his speech opposing the bill.

Madeline Sherratt reports.

Heckler shouts over Senate debate on Trump’s megabill: ‘You people are awful’

Watch: CNN analyst says Trump spending bill 'one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation that I have ever seen'

Harry Enten on Trump's big bill: "You don't have to be a mathematical genius to know that these are horrible, horrible, horrible numbers. Washington Post, -19 points, Fox News -21 points ... holy Toledo -- you just never see numbers this poor ... to quote Sir Charles Barkley,… pic.twitter.com/lDTrN5uMiv

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 30, 2025

Republican Thom Tillis won’t ‘bow to anybody’ after Trump falling out

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis pushed back on President Donald Trump’s criticisms of him after the president repeatedly criticized him for opposing Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill.”

Tillis spoke to The Independent after delivering a speech on the Senate floor following his shock announcement that he would not seek re-election in the wake of Trump’s attacks.

Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.

Republican Tillis won’t ‘bow to anybody’ after Trump falling out over Senate megabill

Watch: White House asked about new tax on wind and solar projects

Reporter: Does the president support this new measure in the big beautiful bill that would impose steep new taxes on new wind and solar projects?

Leavitt: I believe you are referring to the credits for wind and solar projects, and --

Reporter: No, there is a new tax that would… pic.twitter.com/6HITA2sB7Y

— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2025

‘Our fiscal house is basically on fire’

New estimates from the Congressional Budget Office have revealed that Senate Republicans’ version of Donald Trump’s spending package would lead to more Americans losing health coverage than the version of the president’s flagship legislation that passed the House last month.

The legislation would push 11.8 million Americans off insurance by 2034, according to the report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, D.C.

Senate megabill would explode debt and kick 11.8 million off Medicaid, analysis finds

Watch: Sen. Kelly says voters will feel motivated if they lose health insurance

TUR: Are people feeling motivated to vote over this? Is this something they're going to hold onto over the next 3 years?

MARK KELLY: Well, if they lose their health insurance pic.twitter.com/3tAF7H1UWU

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 30, 2025

ICYMI: Elon Musk attacks ‘utterly insane’ megabill

Before votes were underway in the Senate, Trump’s “first buddy,” Elon Musk, momentarily re-entered politics when he attacked the bill as “utterly insane and destructive” in a post on X.

Read on...

Elon Musk lashes out at Senate’s take on Trump’s ‘beautiful’ megabill

Elon Musk reiterates call for new political party, slamming Freedom Caucus

Elon Musk has reiterated his call for a new political party to form, while criticizing the Republican Freedom Caucus for supporting the Trump tax and spending bill, tagging Rep Andy Harris and Rep Chip Roy in a post on X.

“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!

“Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people.

“How can you call yourself the Freedom Caucus if you vote for a DEBT SLAVERY bill with the biggest debt ceiling increase in history?”

How can you call yourself the Freedom Caucus if you vote for a DEBT SLAVERY bill with the biggest debt ceiling increase in history?@RepAndyHarrisMD @chiproytx

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

Thune, Johnson not at the White House after all

Despite assertions from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt that the president held a meeting with the top two congressional leaders on Monday, the claim has been directly refuted by sources within Congress.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed the South Dakota Republican was not present at the White House on Monday, nor did he have any plans to attend. Similarly, Speaker Mike Johnson was also not at the executive mansion.

Thune is currently overseeing the "vote-a-rama" session in the Senate, a crucial stage before a final vote on Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill.

While no in-person meeting occurred, Ryan Wrasse, Thune's spokesman, clarified on X: “Teams are obviously in close contact/coordination, as always, but we’re continuing to move through vote-a-rama in the Senate as we work to move this bill one step closer to the president’s desk.”

‘Vote-a-rama’ drama — what you need to know

The beginning of the Senate’s marathon “vote-a-rama” session is underway as the upper chamber debates final passage of the so-called “one big, beautiful bill” addressing several of Donald Trump’s legislative priorities.

It was still unclear by Monday morning whether the vote would pass.

Eric Garcia and John Bowden report from Capitol Hill.

‘Vote-a-rama’ drama begins as 5 in GOP threaten to tank ‘Big Beautiful’ bill

Trump flying down to open Florida’s ‘Alligator Alc

President Donald Trump is planning to visit a site in the Everglades where Florida officials want to detain migrants, which they have nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previewed the president’s visit for the formal opening, saying the site “will be ready for business” by Tuesday.

Read on...

Trump flying down to open Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center Tuesday

Musk threatens Republican lawmakers with primary challenges for supporting Trump's spending bill

Elon Musk is threatening members of Congress who support Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill with primary challenges.

He wrote on X: “Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!

“And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”

Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!

And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

Trump rants about AT&T service after tech issues delay his call with faith leaders

President Donald Trump blamed AT&T for faulty service on Monday after he experienced technical difficulties trying to connect on a conference call with faith leaders.

On Truth Social, the president summoned the “Boss” of AT&T to “get involved” in the issue after claiming the telecommunications company was “unable to make their equipment work properly,” which delayed the Faith Leaders Conference Call.

Ariana Baio has the story.

Trump rants about AT&T service after tech issues delay his call with faith leaders

Elon Musk vows to primary every Republican who votes for Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ bill

Elon Musk promised to bankroll primary challenges against Republican lawmakers who vote to pass legislation representing a sizable portion of Donald Trump’s political agenda on Monday as the Senate debated its final passage.

John Bowden reports.

Elon Musk vows to primary every Republican who votes for Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful’ bill

Trump touts big bill in mass call with faith leaders

Trump spoke to thousands of faith leaders in a conference call Monday, the first in a series of regular calls that the White House expects him to hold with religious leaders periodically.

Trump, who created a White House faith office this year, spoke to between 8,000 and 10,000 leaders of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths on the call, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

During the call, according to the official, Trump spoke for about 15 minutes and touted provisions in his big tax breaks and spending cuts bill, like the boost to the child tax credit, the Israel-Iran ceasefire, and African peace deals he brokered, and the pardons he issued for anti-abortion activists.

These 5 GOP lawmakers threaten McCain-like ‘thumbs-down’ moment on Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'

The beginning of the Senate’s marathon “vote-a-rama” session is underway as the upper chamber debates final passage of the so-called “one big, beautiful bill” addressing several of Donald Trump’s legislative priorities.

It was still unclear by Monday morning whether the vote would pass.

John Bowden and Eric Garcia report from Capitol Hill.

‘Vote-a-rama’ drama begins as 5 in GOP threaten to tank ‘Big Beautiful’ bill

Lara Trump is ‘taking a strong look’ at running for now-open North Carolina Senate seat

Months after saying she “would seriously consider” taking over Marco Rubio’s Florida Senate seat, only to instead jump over to Fox News to host a weekend show, Lara Trump is now “taking a strong look” at running for Senate from North Carolina after incumbent Republican Thom Tillis announced he was not seeking re-election.

Amid a falling out with President Donald Trump over the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which Tillis says he opposes due to the massive cuts in Medicaid, the conservative lawmaker announced he would be stepping down next year rather than seek another term.

Justin Baragona reports.

Lara Trump ‘taking a strong look’ at running for now-open North Carolina Senate seat

‘Our fiscal house is basically on fire’

New estimates from the Congressional Budget Office have revealed that Senate Republicans’ version of Donald Trump’s spending package would lead to more Americans losing health coverage than the version of the president’s flagship legislation that passed the House last month.

The legislation would push 11.8 million Americans off insurance by 2034, according to the report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Over the same period, federal spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare would be cut by $1.1 trillion. More than $1 trillion of the cuts would be made to Medicaid.

Gustaf Kilander has the details.

Senate megabill would explode debt and kick 11.8 million off Medicaid, analysis finds

Did Trump's bill just put the Senate in play for Democrats?

On Sunday, Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, announced that he would not seek re-election. This came after numerous threats from President Donald Trump because of Tillis’ opposition to the so-called “One Big, Beautiful” bill.

Trump had even floated the idea of endorsing a primary challenger against Tillis. But when The Independent caught up with Tillis, he seemed sanguine about the whole affair.

“I respect President Trump, I support the majority of his agenda, but I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk and this bill puts them at risk,” he told The Independent.

Trump’s decision to bash a senator from a state he won and Republicans need to keep could be seen as reckless. But it also jeopardized Republicans’ chances of holding onto a Senate seat Tillis consistently won by narrow margins.

Read Eric Garcia’s full analysis.

Trump and his ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ just put the Senate in play for Democrats

Trump drops lawsuit against Iowa pollster and newspaper over pre-election survey that favored Kamala Harris

Donald Trump has dropped his lawsuit against famed Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer, the Des Moines Register, and the newspaper’s publisher Gannett, over Selzer’s survey that found Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris with a surprising lead over Trump in Iowa during the final days of the 2024 election.

Justin Baragona reports.

Trump drops lawsuit against Iowa pollster and paper over survey that favored Kamala

38 arrested protesting Big, Beautiful Bill

Protesters appeared in- and outside the Capitol on Monday to protest Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill spending package, which is currently undergoing a “vote-a-rama” session in the Senate.

The U.S. Capitol Police told The Associated Press 38 people were arrested in the demonstrations, including inside the Capitol rotunda at an intersection near the legislature.

When a Big, Beautiful Bill meets a Big, Ugly decline in the US dollar

The Trump administration has framed its Big, Beautiful Bill domestic tax and spending package as a way to deliver an economic win to both regular Americans and the economy at large, using measures like extending the 2017 GOP tax cuts and cutting Medicaid spending.

Whether that will be the case if it passes remains to be debated, but whatever the impact, the bill will be landing at a complicated time for the US economy.

As The New York Times notes, the US dollar is off to its worst start in half a century, with the currency weakening more than 10 percent compared to the currencies of major US training partners.

Senate rejects attempts from Dems and Collins, Murkowski to protect Planned Parenthood funding

Senate Republicans on Monday shot down an attempt from Democrats and Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska to remove a provision from the Big, Beautiful Bill that would strip Planned Parenthood of its ability to receive Medicaid funding.

The GOP blocked the attempt 51 - 49.

“It will take another step toward enacting Republicans’ plan for a backdoor nationwide abortion ban. How does it do this? By defunding Planned Parenthood,” Washington Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat, said of the vote.

Four amendments to watch during the vote-a-rama

The Senate's vote-a-rama to pass President Donald Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill" is underway.

Because of the bizarro rules that come with budget reconciliation — the process Republicans are using to pass the bill by a simple majority and sidestep a Democratic filibuster — senators can file an unlimited number of amendments, hence the "rama" in the vote-a-rama.

Typically, these votes serve one of a handful of purposes: First, to put forth a messaging amendment to shame the other side; second, to push in a policy that didn't make it into the final bill because of the Byrd rule; or third, to allow an errant member to say they fought for a policy they know won't pass.

The Senate's parliamentarian applies the Byrd Rule — named for the late majority leader Robert Byrd — to determine if a piece of the legislation passes the strict criteria. If it does not, then the majority can offer it on the floor, but it needs 60 votes to stay in. All of this can create for a rapid fire series of call-and-response amendments.

Below are four amendments to keep an eye on:

Renewable energy: One major sticking point between Republicans is that some of them actually like the renewable energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act. The final text of the bill aggressively rolls back the renewable energy tax credits for plants put "in service" after December 31, 2027.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski told The Independent, "I don’t want to see us backslide on clean energy."

As a result, she and Iowa's Republican Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley want to propose an alternative amendment that is not as aggressive. But Grassley said "we need to find an offset" to pay for the credit.

More aggressive Medicaid amendments: No part of the bill has caught as much flack from Democrats as the Medicaid policies, such as the work requirements and taxes on providers like hospitals and nursing homes.

But for some Republicans, that's not enough. Specifically, their sticking point is the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Under the law, the federal government will cover 90 percent of the cost for states that expand Medicaid eligibility to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Line.

Both red and blue states have done it. But Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has an amendment that would end the new eligibility for beneficiaries after 2030 while grandfathering eligible recipients who enrolled before 2030.

This would have sweeping implications since many states have "trigger laws" where they would be forced to pull back their money. This is a must-pass for some of the fiscal conservatives like Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. All three of them hail from states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But Republicans from states that expanded Medicaid might find it tougher to stomach.

A ban on gender-affirming care: Republicans have made policy restricting access to gender-affirming care their main sticking point ever since Trump beat Kamala Harris with his famous "Kamala is for They/Them" ad, which hit Harris for providing health care for undocumented immigrants in prison.

Initially, the House version would ban coverage of gender-affirming care for Medicaid and CHIP recipients who are minors. But a last-minute deal before it passed the House struck the term "for minors," meaning it would ban Medicaid and CHIP from covering gender-affirming care for anyone. However, the Senate Parliamentarian found this did not comply with the Byrd Rule.

Still, Republicans included it in the final text of the bill. This means Democrats will raise a point of order to trigger the 60-vote threshold to keep it in. Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, whose staff prepared arguments before the parliamentarian, told The Independent he would raise a point of order, saying, “This is a private choice for adults. It should belong to them."

The fight for rural hospitals aka the Collins Kickback: As always, it comes back to health care. Some Republicans warn that the cap on provider taxes will limit states' ability to raise matching dollars to receive Medicaid dollars. Hospitals warn that this could cause rural hospitals to close.

To tide over some Republicans, the bill includes a $25 billion fund to shore up rural hospitals. But for Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who hails from a blue state with large rural populations and is up for re-election, that may not be enough. Her amendment to up the fund to $50 billion. But this might make the fiscal conservatives queasy.

Will Senate vote stretch into Tuesday? 'Ask Mr. Thune,' Schumer says

Progress on the Senate’s “vote-a-rama” for Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill spending package is moving slowly, raising the possibility the deliberations continue into the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

When will the process finally end? According to Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, only the Republican Majority Leader, John Thune, really knows, and even that’s not so certain.

“Ask Mr. Thune,” the New York Democrat told reporters on Monday evening. “He’s the one having the problems,”

Trump hawks presidential cologne line as Senate labors over spending bill

Donald Trump’s domestic policy agenda is facing one of its most critical moments so far, as the Senate considers final passage of his Big, Beautiful Bill spending package.

That didn’t stop the president on Monday from advertising a new business line: Trump Fragrances.

“They’re called ‘Victory 45-47’ because they’re all about Winning, Strength, and Success — For men and women,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, in yet another blending of his political and business roles. “Get yourself a bottle, and don’t forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!”

Blackburn-Cruz deal on AI provision falls apart: statement

Just a day after saying she reached a deal with her GOP colleague Ted Cruz, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee announced on Monday the agreement was off regarding artificial intelligence provisions in the Republican megabill.

Originally, Cruz and Blackburn agreed on proposing a “temporary pause” banning states from regulating AI for the next five years, in exchange for access to hundreds of millions in AI funding incentives.

“For as long as I’ve been in Congress, I’ve worked alongside federal and state legislators, parents seeking to protect their kids online, and the creative community in Tennessee to fight back against Big Tech’s exploitation by passing legislation to govern the virtual space,” Blackburn said in a statement to The hill. “While I appreciate Chairman Cruz’s efforts to find acceptable language that allows states to protect their citizens from the abuses of AI, the current language is not acceptable to those who need these protections the most. This provision could allow Big Tech to continue to exploit kids, creators, and conservatives. Until Congress passes federally preemptive legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act and an online privacy framework, we can’t block states from making laws that protect their citizens.”

Elon Musk's tweet-a-rama about the vote-a-rama

Elon Musk continues to voice his disapproval over the GOP megabill, which he argues will kill US renewable energy development and saddle the economy with growing debt.

Elon Musk vows campaigns against every Republican who votes for Trump’s agenda

He’s been expressing his criticisms in a series of tweets.

💯 https://t.co/oTLTWtfK7y

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day.

Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

They just pretend to be two parties.

It’s just one uniparty in reality. https://t.co/NEcLJNPXxm

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

Wise words https://t.co/XN0qzuHmW7

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

Democratic ex-governor Roy Cooper may jump into race to replace Tillis in North Carolina

Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is reportedly considering jumping into the ring to seek the Senate seat of outgoing Republican Thom Thillis, who announced his decision not to seek reelection over the weekend.

"Governor Cooper continues to strongly consider a run for the Senate and will decide in the coming weeks," Morgan Jackson, Cooper's top political adviser, told Axios.

He could face off against Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, who is also reportedly considering a run.

Lara Trump ‘taking a strong look’ at running for now-open North Carolina Senate seat

The Girl Squad blocks Ted Cruz on AI

A compromise deal among Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee to fix the 10-year moratorium on AI ultimately fell through.

Boom. New Blackburn amendment with Cantwell to strip Cruz 10 year AI moratorium. pic.twitter.com/dPy9HwySbm

— tricia enright (@triciaenright) July 1, 2025

Shortly thereafter, Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington State and Cruz's counterpart on the commerce committee, announced a deal with a cosponsorship from Sen. Susan Collins, a crucial swing vote.

The initial 10-year moratorium on states regulating AI caused Republicans, including some House members who voted for the bill, tons of heartburn.

Next up for Trump: a Netanyahu visit, a Florida visit, and (hopefully) a Big, Beautiful Bill

Never one to have a dull moment, Donald Trump’s schedule is packed with major news happenings in the coming days.

First, the Senate may pass his Big, Beautiful Bill spending and tax package sometime late tonight or early tomorrow.

Then, the president will head to Florida on Tuesday proper for a visit to a new migrant detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” where Trump may celebrate BBB’s massive infusion of billions of dollars in new immigration enforcement funds to federal law enforcement.

Finally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington early next week, the Times of Israel reports.

Florida building ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ for undocumented migrants in Everglades

Why Elon Musk is going nuclear (again) at Trump

Elon Musk promised to bankroll primary challenges against Republican lawmakers who vote to pass legislation representing a sizable portion of Donald Trump’s political agenda on Monday as the Senate debated its final passage.

The Tesla CEO and former DOGE overlord blew up at Trump and the Republican Congress over the bill earlier this year. Musk, along with Republicans like Rand Paul in the Senate, believe that the bill’s spending cuts are insufficient to fund its other provisions and point to projections of trillions added to the national debt over the next decade as reason it should be opposed.

But despite failing to meet the goals of deficit hawks to be deficit-neutral or even cut the national debt, Donald Trump and Republican leadership are pressing forward with the legislation. The bill is set to extend the 2017 GOP tax cuts as well as fund a massive surge of mass deportation measures for the federal government, including the hiring of 10,000 new ICE agents. To fund the plan, the GOP plans to impose work requirements and other cuts on Medicaid and food stamp (SNAP) programs.

On Monday, Musk vowed to fund Republican primary challengers against any senator or House member who voted for the legislation.

John Bowden reports.

Elon Musk vows campaigns against every Republican who votes for Trump’s agenda

Why Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill is a major win-loss for the GOP

On Sunday, Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, announced that he would not seek re-election. This came after numerous threats from President Donald Trump because of Tillis’ opposition to the so-called “One Big, Beautiful” bill.

Trump had even floated the idea of endorsing a primary challenger against Tillis. But when The Independent caught up with Tillis, he seemed sanguine about the whole affair.

“I respect President Trump, I support the majority of his agenda, but I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk and this bill puts them at risk,” he told The Independent.

Trump’s decision to bash a senator from a state he won and Republicans need to keep could be seen as reckless. But it also jeopardized Republicans’ chances of holding onto a Senate seat Tillis consistently won by narrow margins.

Trump and his ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ just put the Senate in play for Democrats

Text chains and sneaky cigars: How Congress endures an all-night vote-a-rama

How do a group of mostly silver-haired lawmakers endure an all-night, make-or-break voting session?

Turns out, a bit like university students.

As deliberations wore on after sunset on Monday in the Senate, members of Congress and their staff were reportedly spotted chowing down on pizza, guzzling energy drinks, and even smoking cigars in various corners of the Capitol complex.

Behind the scenes, there was also reportedly some dismay that the all-night amendment session had actually weakened Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill spending package.

“On the text chains, on the phone calls, everyone is complaining,” an anonymous House Republican told The Hill. “There’s a few little provisions people will say something positive about, but no one is happy with the Senate version.”

“It’s amazing to a lot of us — how did it get so much f***ing worse?” the lawmaker added.

Another failed Murkowski defection, as GOP rejects SNAP carveout for vets

Senate Republicans have once again rejected an attempt featuring the GOP’s Lisa Murkowski to ally with Democrats to preserve a policy priority.

Late on Monday, the GOP shut down the Alaska senator’s vote, along with fellow Republican Dan Sullivan, to exempt veterans, homeless people, and foster youth from proposed work requirements to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the food program often called food stamps.

No end in sight as voting continues

Good morning!

The Senate has been working through the night on the “vote-a-rama” drama surrounding President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which is being subjected to a series of amendment proposals before the chamber casts a final vote.

Trump’s signature bill, which seeks to lower federal taxes and boost spending for defense and border security by trimming away funding for key welfare programs like Medicaid and food stamps, only narrowly passed the House of Representatives in May and the Senate on Saturday as even Republicans express unease over its potential consequences for Americans living in their districts.

There’s no end in sight, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune concedes that “progressive is a very elusive term,” the expression of a very tired man.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said this morning that Democrats will keep on bringing “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts.”

He said the amendments will enable the public to “see once and for all if Republicans really meant all those nice things they’ve been saying about ‘strengthening Medicaid’ and ‘protecting middle-class families’, or if they were just lying”.

Trump threatens to use DOGE to investigate Musk as feud reignites over the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

Donald Trump has threatened to use Elon Musk’s own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to investigate federal subsidies received by the tech billionaire’s companies.

Nearly a month after their explosive and very public breakup, Trump reignited his rift with Musk late Monday in response to the Tesla CEO escalating his anti-Republican rhetoric and his scathing criticism of the president’s showpiece tax bill.

The president also suggested that Musk may need to ‘close up shop and go back to South Africa’ without his support.

Here’s James Liddell’s report.

Trump threatens to use DOGE to investigate Musk as feud reignites over megabill

Trump and Musk’s feud: From Jeffrey Epstein allegations to clashes over the Big, Beautiful Bill

Since the world’s richest man and the president are back at each other’s throats, here’s a reminder of exactly how their friendship fell apart in spectacular fashion last month.

Trump and Musk’s feud: From Epstein allegations to clash over the Big, Beautiful Bill

Senate drops AI regulation ban from bill

The chamber has voted overwhelmingly to remove a 10-year federal ban on state regulation of AI from the Big, Beautiful Bill, supporting Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn’s amendment by 99-1, with Thom Tillis the only holdout.

99-1, Senate votes to adopt Blackburn’s amendment striking down the AI moratorium in the reconciliation bill

Tillis the lone no vote

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) July 1, 2025

‘I’m brain dead, brother’

The Independent’s Eric Garcia is watching events for us on Capitol Hill and reports that the exhaustion is beginning to kick in for the senators:

Tuberville walked off the floor with some coffee and said “I’m brain dead, brother.” Me too, Coach

— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) July 1, 2025

“If you have to stall this long, it means you have a shit bill”-Ruben Gallego

— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) July 1, 2025

Senate Republican leadership split on whether to target Murkowski or Paul

John Thune and friends are reportedly unsure on whether to concentrate their efforts on wooing Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski or Kentucky’s Rand Paul over to the Trump cause, both of whom have different priorities.

Why do they think a $500 billion debt limit hike is a bad idea?

1. Trump will hate it. He wants the debt limit done away with entirely.
2. We’d be right back here in a few months — and Dems would have leverage because of the filibuster.

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) July 1, 2025

Tesla shares hit as Musk-Trump feud reignites

Shares in Elon Musk’s electric car company Tesla have slumped in 24 hour trading after the billionaire’s feud with the president blasted back into life over the Big, Beautiful Bill.

Tesla’s shares fell sharply by as much as 6.4 percent to $297.35 on Tuesday, according to the trading platform Robinhood.

Trump suggested in his most recent Truth Social post that Musk enjoys too many subsidies from the U.S. government and hinted that DOGE should consider making cuts to the detriment of its founder, which would be a cruel irony for Elon should it come to pass.

Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one. Elon may get more subsidy than any…

— Unofficial Trump on X (@trump_repost) July 1, 2025

Analysis: Republican holdout causing Thune and Trump fits as Senate pulls all nighter on Big Beautiful vote-a-rama

Here’s the latest dispatch from The Independent’s Eric Garcia on Capitol Hill, who is no doubt screaming for a cup of coffee by this point:

Republicans are basically locked in a standstill as they plan to pass President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” On paper, they should have the votes: Republicans have 53 seats and they want to pass the bill through the arcane process known as budget reconciliation, which allows them to avoid a filibuster.

But they face a quandry. After the provision to shore up rural hospitals by Susan Collins failed, she seems to be in the “No” column. That puts Republicans in a bind: Either they appease Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the moderate Alaska Republican, which would amount to massive carve-outs to their bill, or Sen. Rand Paul, the libertarian Republican from Kentucky.

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, Murkowski's fellow Alaskan Sen. Dan Sullivan and former majority leader Mitch McConnell cornered Murkowski in the back of the chamber.

Call it the Denali Deal: as part of the bargain, Alaska and a handful of other states would be exempt from the bill’s provision that requires states to shoulder a larger share of the cost for administering the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.

The Senate Parliamentarian cleared this part of the bill in the early hours of the morning. In addition, another part of the bill raises the amount that Alaska whaling captains can write off from $10,000 to $50,000 as charitable contributions.

But there is one final sticking point: Top Finance Democrat Ron Wyden announced that Democrats successfully argued that a provision to give an enhanced federal matching rate for Medicaid to Alaska and a handful of other states did not comply with the Byrd Rule. That significantly weakens the bribe for Murkowski.

The alternative is to simply deal with Paul, who has objected to the debt limit increase in the bill. But this would force Republicans to work with the Democrats, which they always wanted to avoid.

Ultimately, Thune and the Republicans have to determine their price: dealing with the Democrats or a massive bribe to one Alaskan with an independent streak.

Vance at the Capitol for possible tiebreaker vote, dealmaking

The vice president has arrived in the event that his vote might be needed to force through the bill, or perhaps to help corner Murkowski and Paul and beg them to play ball.

Vance arrives at the Capitol amid vote-a-rama. May be needed to break a tie on the Big, Beautiful Bill. But he may be needed to broker a final deal and get reluctant GOPers to vote yes on the final version. Fox is told they are short on votes now.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 1, 2025

Actually, according to The Independent’s Eric Garcia, some of them have quite literally been playing ball:

At one point, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, the Republican from Oklahoma who has a penchant for carrying a bouncy ball around wherever he goes, decided to play a game of catch on the floor to pass the time with Republicans. At one point, he looked primed to throw it to Sen. Katie Britt from Alabama, who signaled not to do it. Though Britt could probably make a few receptions: Her husband Wesley played for the University of Alabama and the New England Patriots under Coach Bill Belichick (who now coaches the far superior University of North Carolina Tar Heels).

He adds that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has brought McDonald’s breakfast for colleagues while the Democrats are still digesting their tacos from last night.

Voter-a-rama drama now an all-time record breaker

The vote on amendment #45 a short while ago places this marathon session in the record books.

The Senate vote-a-rama just started vote #45, which means this vote-a-rama now has the record for most votes in vote-a-rama history.

There were 44 votes during a 2008 budget resolution vote-a-rama, which had previously held the record.

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 1, 2025

Warner tells Republicans: ‘I don’t want to be your damned conscience’

Here’s an interesting bit of stirring from Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner:

Sick and tired of Republican Senators coming to me privately saying, “Mark, keep speaking up, you’re our conscience.”

I don’t want to be their damn conscience.

I want them to vote their conscience.

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) July 1, 2025

‘I think in the end we’re going to get the bill passed,’ says Trump

That’s the president’s first pronouncement of the day on the One Big, Beautiful Bill, according to Reuters.

He sounds cautiously optimistic and well-rested, unlike the senators who have been up all night working on his behalf.

On Elon Musk, he says the billionaire is upset because he lost the mandate for electric vehicles in the tax and spending bill and warned that the Tesla CEO “could lose a lot more than that.”

Breaking: Trump threatens to deport Elon Musk

Asked by a reporter just now whether he would really do such a thing, the president answered: “We’ll have to take a look. We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”

Here’s the latest from Andrew Feinberg.

Trump says he will ‘take a look’ at deporting Musk as feud reaches new height

Recap: Musk promises to fund campaigns against Republicans who vote for Trump’s bill

If you missed the drama on X overnight, Trump’s estranged former pal once more came out angrily against the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” leading to the president’s extraordinary (tongue-in-cheek?) threat this morning.

John Bowden has the story.

Elon Musk vows campaigns against every Republican who votes for Trump’s agenda

Analysis: Trump and his ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ just put the Senate in play for Democrats

Here’s more from The Independent’s Eric Garcia – who has now, I’m happy to say, finally gone to bed – on how this whole spectacle plays into the hands of the opposition and means that, even if the president does ultimately get his way, it will come with a significant cost.

Trump and his ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ just put the Senate in play for Democrats

Senate ‘moving toward a vote today’, says Scott Bessent

Trump’s treasury secretary was on Fox and Friends this morning to boost the bill, claiming a vote in the upper chamber could happen today, dismissing its possibly negative economic impact.

BREAKING: Senate 'moving toward a vote today' on Trump megabill despite Dems 'trying to stop the president's momentum,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells @foxandfriends pic.twitter.com/oP1TOPedne

— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 1, 2025

Scott Bessent lies again that the BBB will not increase the deficit.

"I don't agree at all [that the bill adds $5 trillion to the deficit]. This bill will set off growth like we've never seen before... The bill more than pays for itself. We could be in surplus."

The BBB adds… pic.twitter.com/UFzBU6wjuP

— Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) July 1, 2025

24 hours pass since first amendment vote started in Senate

At 9:35 a.m. (about 15 minutes) we cross over 24 hours since 1st roll call/amendment vote started in Senate.
There have been 39 full roll call's on amendments/points of order, etc. 6 more voice votes.
And now, for past 2-ish hours, Senate is in a Murkowski-driven quorum call. https://t.co/hqPYgfVQpu

— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) July 1, 2025

Barrasso says Senate will vote on bill this morning

Movement??

Barrasso says Senate will vote this morning as Murkowski suggests deal’s in the “copy machine”

Both just left meeting in Barrasso office

Asked if things were in hands of Senate parl, Murkowski replied: "It's in the hands of the people that operate the copy machine”

— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) July 1, 2025

Trump opens door to delaying July 4 deadline

Trump suggested that he could be amenable to delaying the July 4 deadline for his “big, beautiful bill.”

“I’d love to do July 4, but I think it’s very hard to do July 4,” he told assembled reporters on the South Lawn of the White House early on Tuesday.

However, he added that he wanted the legislation to pass soon and that it would be “wise” for every Republican to back the legislation.

Ron Johnson to support Trump's legislation

This happening even as Rick Scott is withdrawing his amendment that would further cut federal Medicaid funding

— Emily Wilkins (@emrwilkins) July 1, 2025

Murkowski says deal is 'in the hands of the people that operate the copy machine'

It appears as if Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski may have been won over.

She told Politico, "It's in the hands of the people that operate the copy machine" when asked if her deal with Senate leadership was being judged by the parliamentarian.

She has been working on an amendment that makes Alaska immune to having to enforce the food stamp work requirements.

Vote-a-rama nearing its end, senator says

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, said the vote-a-rama is about to come to a close, according to Punchbowl. Senate Republicans are waiting for Democrats to approve the amendments.

He added that the Republicans have the votes needed for passage “as of right now.”

“Thune has lived up to his bulldog personality, right. We’re gonna stay here until we get it done,” he said of the majority leader, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.

Vance likely needed to break tie

He says he believes VP Vance will be needed to break the tie https://t.co/Wye8veIXEc

— Reese Gorman (@reesejgorman) July 1, 2025

Republicans nearing agreement on megabill

Thune told reporters, “I believe we do” when asked if Republicans have a deal on the passage of the megabill.

However, he added that he’s “always a bit of a realist.”

Senators have now been voting on amendments for over 24 hours, while Thune has worked behind the scenes to strike deals with holdouts.

Republican leadership has told senators to return to their seats for voting to start again.

New York Republican defends throwing millions off Medicaid

Claudia Tenney on Medicaid cuts: "There are about 19 million people in New York. Eight million are receiving Medicaid. About five million of those eight million are actually eligible. So all we're doing is saying let's strengthen the Medicaid program that is for the truly needy.… pic.twitter.com/sLIZrcqDU2

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2025

Douthat says 'bill looks like a triumph of GOP sclerosis'

The bill looks like a triumph of GOP sclerosis + dysfunction over attempts to remake its agenda along coherent populist (Vance) or dynamist (Musk) lines, which is why the VP is implausibly casting its details as so much "minutiae" and Musk is screaming from the sidelines.

— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) July 1, 2025

Senate GOP leaders boosts rural hospital fund to $50 billion

News- Senate GOP leaders have doubled the size of rural hospital fund in their wrap-around amendment, per draft obtained by CNN

Rural hospital fund is now **$50 billion,** to be doled out starting next year through 2030. It was previously $25B. (Collins wanted $100B!)

— Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) July 1, 2025

Murkowski and Barrasso enter senate floor

Murkowski and GOP Whip John Barrasso just walked onto the floor together. They did not say a word to reporters as they passed. They ignored questions about a deal.

'We won't be playing with Medicaid,' Trump claims

Trump recently told reporters that "we won't be playing with Medicaid" and that the only people who will lose healthcare coverage will be because of "waste, fraud, and abuse.”

“I think it's going to be the greatest bill ever passed, even for you, as an example, tremendous amount of Homeland Security money,” said Trump.

“It's going to keep the border secure because you know we have them secure now, but we need to build more wall,” he added.

Republicans hand-wrote more provisions into bill, Klobuchar says

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota wrote on X on Tuesday that the delay on the floor was due to that “The Republicans hand-wrote more paybacks into the 900 plus page bill and no one can figure out what they are.”

“I mean it only adds 4 trillion plus in debt already so why not add some more by hand,” she added.

Senate parliamentarian knocks out handwritten notation

NEWS — The Senate parliamentarian has knocked out a handwritten parenthetical notation in the new Murkowski-focused Medicaid provision that created a special preference for an Alaska Medicaid fund, Dems say.

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) July 1, 2025

Final vote expected soon

NOW: Senate voting on the wrap-around, (called “perfected” Senate amendment).

This is the changes bill - still waiting for text to post for the public.

NEXT VOTE: final Senate passage.

So far these votes have been 50-50 and Vance has broken the tie.

— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) July 1, 2025

Final vote underway

JD Vance is presiding, should he need to break a tie on the final vote now underway.

Bill passes senate

The bill has passed the Senate after Vance broke a 50-50 tie.

Senate Republicans barely pass Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ after record-breaking all-nighter

Senate Republicans finally passed their version of President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Tuesday afternoon despite sharp criticism of the legislation from some within the president’s party who held out for changes that dragged negotiations to a marathon two-day session.

The legislation passed by after Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote on a 50-50 tiebreaker and now gets sent back to the House of Representatives for reconsideration with the new amendments.

Trump and Republicans had prioritized the bill’s passage, given that it includes an extension of the 2017 tax cuts Trump signed in his first term as president as well as increased spending for immigration enforcement, oil exploration and the U.S. military.

Read more:

Senate Republicans pass Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ after overcoming hurdles

Three GOP senators vote against bill

Three Republicans voted against the bill: Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Susan Collins of Maine.

'This doesn’t happen easily,' Thune says after more than 24 hours of voting

Speaking to reporters after the passage of the bill, Majority Leader John Thune said, “This doesn’t happen easily, for sure.”

Addressing the chances of the bill passing in the House, he said, "I appreciate the narrow margins they have over there and the challenges the speaker and his team have in front of him, but I think we gave them a really strong product.”

“I think we took what they sent us and strengthened and improved upon it,” he said, according to NOTUS.

'We're not there yet,' Murkowski says

Asked why she voted for the bill if it needs work, Murkowski said voting against would have killed OBBB

"Kill it and it's gone," Murkowski said. "There is a tax impact coming forward. That's gonna hurt the people in my state."

— Brendan Pedersen (@BrendanPedersen) July 1, 2025

Trump reacts to passage of 'big, beautiful bill'

President @realDonaldTrump finding out the One Big Beautiful Bill has officially PASSED the U.S. Senate! pic.twitter.com/tS68Rgc4Fh

— Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) July 1, 2025

Trump suggests 'looking at' arresting former DHS Secretary

President Trump on possibly arresting former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of the border: "He was given orders. If he wasn't given a pardon I could see looking at that." pic.twitter.com/EEoyYvJRif

— CSPAN (@cspan) July 1, 2025

House to vote on legislation on Wednesday

The bill now moves on to the House, where Republican leadership has signalled that they’re planning on a Wednesday vote.

The House is set to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow for “legislative business and debate the rule providing for consideration” of the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer said in a statement.

After the rule debate, the House will “vote on the adoption of the rule.”

Next, the House is set to debate the Senate Amendment to the legislation, after which the chamber will vote on a motion to concur.

“Members are advised that procedural votes are possible throughout the day,” said Emmer.

Trump threatens to 'arrest' Mamdani

Trump said in Florida on Tuesday that if New York Democratic Mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani refuses to work with ICE, “we’ll have to arrest him.”

Q: You message to communist Zohran Mamdani?

TRUMP: Well then, we'll have to arrest him pic.twitter.com/3YbylPK2MS

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2025

Murkowski says process to back bill was 'agonizing'

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the process for getting to yes on the vote on the legislation was “agonizing.”

She added that she still has concerns regarding the bill and she lamented the “artificial” July 4 deadline, which she said prompted lawmakers to rush “to get a product out.”

Murkowski said she voted for the bill in the end because she thought Republicans made enough changes to support nutrition assistance and rural health care.

“Did I get everything that I wanted?” Absolutely not,” she told reporters, according to The New York Times.

She went on to say that a significant reason why she backed the bill was the measure to extend the 2017 tax cuts, which she claimed was important to her constituents.

However, she also said, “We do not have a perfect bill.”

She added that she hopes that the House will make additional changes.

“I have urged our leadership, and I have told the White House, that I think more process is needed for this bill,” said Murkowski.

Trump wears 'Gulf of America' hat amid feud with AP

Trump wore a Gulf of America hat during his event on Tuesday at a proposed immigration facility in Florida.

The White House previously pushed the Associated Press out of the press pool for refusing to adopt the name instead of the Gulf of Mexico.

Schumer says vote will 'haunt' GOP 'for years'

On the Senate floor, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, “Today’s vote will haunt our Republican colleagues for years to come.”

“As the American people see the damage that is done, as hospitals close, as people are laid off, as costs go up, as the debt increases, they will see what our colleagues have done, and they will remember it,” he added. “And we Democrats will make sure they remember it.”

Republican who calls bill 'non-starter' considering gubernatorial run

Worth noting that Norman is considering a run for SC governor, which could impact his ultimate calculus here; he's said he'll announce by July 27 what he ends up doing. https://t.co/CFXNQ5ZoHE https://t.co/lICIed0NiL

— Caroline Vakil (@CarolineVakil) July 1, 2025

WATCH: Senate passes Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'

Trump says he thinks bill will 'do very well' in the House

Trump mentioned the bill on his way back from Florida on Air Force One, saying, "The bill passed and I think it's going to do very well in the House.”

“We'll see how that works out, but looks like it's ahead of schedule, we'll see what happens,” he added.

Did Trump nab his Hannibal Lecter? At ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, Kristi Noem says ICE ‘detained a cannibal’

Hello, Clarice?

More than a year after President Donald Trump started making regular mentions of ‘the late, great Hannibal Lecter,’ the fictional Baltimore psychiatrist turned serial killer, on the campaign trail, it appears the federal government has finally rid the country of a real-life immigrant cannibal.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the eyebrow-raising revelation during an appearance alongside Trump while visiting a makeshift immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades that has been dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Sunshine State officials and the president’s supporters.

Read more:

Did Trump nab his Hannibal Lecter? Kristi Noem says ICE ‘detained a cannibal’

Democrat argues legislation will 'jeopardize 1.75 million construction jobs'

In the House Rules Committee, Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said the legislation will “jeopardize 1.75 million construction jobs and billions of dollars in private sector investment.”

Scanlon: This will jeopardize 1.75 million construction jobs and billions of dollars in private sector investment growing our economy now with solar, wind and hydroelectric projects. We are slamming the brakes with this bill on incredible economic growth and ceding energy… pic.twitter.com/aKmZII7ZSh

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2025

'Do I like this bill? No,' Murkowski says after backing legislation

NEW: Sen. Lisa Murkowski stares me down for more than 10 secs after I ask her to respond to Sen. Rand Paul’s critique of the deal she struck to get her to a YES and pass the OBBB.

“Do I like this bill? No. But I tried to take care of Alaska’s interests.”

w/ @frankthorp pic.twitter.com/d8mku7RDct

— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) July 1, 2025