US Senate Battles Through the Night Over Trump’s Massive Spending Bill

Washington, D.C. – In a rare all-night legislative showdown, the United States Senate has engaged in a marathon debate over President Donald Trump’s massive and controversial budget proposal dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" as divisions within the Republican Party threaten its passage.

The sprawling 1,000-page legislation, central to Trump’s economic and political agenda, includes major increases in funding for border security, defense, and energy projects. But critics warn that those gains come at a steep human cost with deep cuts proposed to healthcare and food assistance programs affecting millions of low-income Americans.

By early Tuesday, lawmakers had spent more than 22 hours debating and voting on dozens of amendments in a process known in Washington as a “vote-a-rama.” The high-stakes negotiations have exposed fractures within the Republican majority, especially over how aggressively to slash social welfare to fund $3.8 trillion in extended tax breaks.

Vice President JD Vance was spotted on Capitol Hill shortly after 6 a.m. (EST), raising speculation that Republicans may need him to cast a tie-breaking vote if the bill comes down to the wire. GOP leaders can afford no more than three defections in the Senate to avoid a deadlock.

If passed, the bill would return to the House of Representatives which narrowly passed an earlier version last week for a final vote.

The legislation is expected to add at least $3.3 trillion to the already eye-watering $36 trillion national debt, according to the U.S. Treasury. That figure has sparked backlash from across the political spectrum including from one of Trump's former allies: billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk, who once led the Trump-appointed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has sharply criticized the bill and accused Republicans of hypocrisy. “They campaigned on cutting spending,” he posted, “then voted for the largest debt increase in history.”

Relations between Trump and Musk have since soured, with Trump suggesting Musk’s wealth is built on public subsidies. “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history... Without them, he’d be on a plane back to South Africa,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warns that proposed cuts could strip up to 12 million Americans of health insurance primarily through changes to Medicaid, which supports healthcare for low-income families.

Republicans are also pushing provisions to reduce Medicaid funding to states that cover undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges an amendment that failed to pass.

Meanwhile, Democrats have fought to protect healthcare access and food support, warning that rural hospitals and struggling families will bear the brunt of the cuts. All Democratic efforts to remove those provisions were defeated along party lines.

Senator Ed Markey led efforts to strike out language that could force the closure of rural hospitals, while others sought to preserve food aid programs. None of their amendments passed.

Two Republican senators including Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced his retirement after voting against the bill broke ranks with their party. Tillis said the legislation betrayed voters and was driven by "raw politics" rather than public interest.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky also opposed the bill, citing its massive debt increase and damage to essential public services.

Even if the bill clears the Senate, it faces turbulence in the House. The House Freedom Caucus, made up of hardline fiscal conservatives, has threatened to block the final version, citing its potential to add over $650 billion to the deficit.

Still, the Trump administration remains confident. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump expects to sign the bill into law by 4 July.

Meanwhile, Musk has hinted at launching a new political party if the legislation goes through — a move that would signal a deeper rift within America’s conservative movement.


By WafricNews Desk.