Debate underway on Senate tax bill
Trump criticizes 2 in GOP who didn't back it
By: Bart Jensen
Sarah D. Wire
Marina Potofsky
Savannah Kuchar,
Medora Lee
and Sudiksha Kochi
USA Today
WASHINGTON - The Senate on June 29 [2025] began its marathon debate about President Donald Trump's package of legislative priories as Republicans try to thread the needle for tax cuts, Medicaid cuts and border security funding with a narrow majority.
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The debate comes after a dramatic 51-49 vote June 28 [2025] was held open for more than 3 1/2 hours while a handful of Republican Senators negotiated with Senate leaders, Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
..... The victory meant the bill cleared a key hurdle for the success of Trump's domestic agenda for tax cuts and border security. Trump has urged Congress to complete the measure by July 4. [2025]
..... After the vote, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-New York, forced Senate clerks to read the entire 940-pagebill rather than customarily waiving that chore. that will likely push the vote to June 30 [2025] - when more Americans could be paying attention. Then there will be multi-hour voting on amendments to change the bill, many of which are expected to fail.
..... On June 29, [2025] Senator Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, told "Meet the Press" that Republicans welcome the bill being read aloud, hoping "Democrats pay attention to it because it's going to be very hard for them to argue about what this actually does."
..... Senator Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said on CNN's State of the Union: that exposing the bill's details has been :effective in getting what;s in this God-awful bill out into the public. I think this will be a political albatross."
..... Meanwhile, Majority Leader John Thune, R-south Dakota expressed uncertainty about whether enough Republicans would back the final version, with Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina the lone Republicans voting against even debating the bill as written.
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"We'll find out." Thune said
Trump blasts GOP opposition
..... New surveys show the GOP's is losing public support for the bill. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office warned on June 29 [2025] that the sweeping tax and spending bill would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over ten years. The office previously found that the plan would increase resources for middle and top earners at the expense of lower-income Americans.
..... Republicans have said the bill is necessary for economic growth and includes massive spending for the military and immigration enforcement.
..... Democrats have branded it as a tax giveaway for the rich in exchange for cutting Medicare and other social safety net programs like food assistance and free or reduced priced school lunches for the rest of the country.
..... Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, initially voted no on starting the debate. But he flipped his vote at the last minute rather than force a tie that Vance was on hand to break.
.... GOP Senators Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida drew the last to vote , each saying yes after hours of talks with leadership. along the way, Lee withdrew a contentious provisions that Senator Tim Sheehy R-Montana, threatens to opposed the legislation over.
..... Trump took to his truth Social platform to criticize Tillis and Paul for voting against moving the bill forward.
..... "Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against 'Senator Thom' Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking property represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America," Trump said.
..... Trump had a shorter message for Paul: "did Rand Paul Vote "NO" again tonight? What's wrong with this guy????"
..... Paul who golfed with Trump on June 28, [2025] opposed the bill's spending levels, and said he wouldn't vote for the bill unless the debt limit gets a separate vote. But Republican leaders want to keep the unpopular vote within the overall package.
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Tillis voiced concerns about Medicaid cuts costing his state tens of billions of dollars.
What are the cuts to Medicaid?
..... Medicaid, which provides health insurance to more than 71 million low-income Americans, has been a regular point of contention for both chambers grappling with the legislation.
..... After the House narrowly approved big changes to the program that would save at east $625 billion - and potentially cause 7.6 million Americans over the next 10 years to lose their health insurance - the Senate sought even deeper cuts.
..... Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough axed a handful of changes from the Senate bill, including prohibiting coverage for non-citizens and barring funds for gender-affirming care. the upper chamber's legislation maintains new work requirements and increased eligibility checks.
What else is in Senate version?
..... The heart of the legislation would extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire at end of the year. [2025] Republicans have said defeat of the measure would lead to a $4 trillion tax hike over the next decade.
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New tax deductions Trump campaigned on would apply to tips for some employees through 2028 and for overtime pay. The Senate capped the deduction at $25,000 and weakened the break for individuals with income above $150,000.
..... the Senate proposed a $6,000 "bonus deduction: for those aged 65 and older, but eligibility is capped at $150,000 for couples. The deduction,
available from 2025 through 2028, would supplement the existing extra standard deduction already available to older adults.
..... For border security, the bill would increase funding by about $150 billion for the Department of Homeland Security and authorize $45 billion for new detention centers and $27 billion for a m,ass deportation campaign.
.... A crucial provision would increase the amount the country can borrow by $5 trillion. The country's debt is already approaching $37 trillion.