The Republican-controlled Senate narrowly passed the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, a move that has been called “devastating” by the Democrats
The Republican-dominated Senate has narrowly passed the centrepiece of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, a bill that Democrats have labelled as “devastating”.
The legislation, referred to by Trump as the “one big, beautiful bill,” was approved with a 51-50 vote. Vice President JD Vance broke the tie after three Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, opposed the bill.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin expressed his condemnation of the budget being passed by the Senate in a statement.
“Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have sent a clear message to the American people: Your kids, your job, and your elderly relatives don’t matter. This is one of the worst bills in the history of Congress,” Martin said.
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He described it as a “massive scheme to steal from working folks, struggling families, and hell, even from nursing homes – all to enrich the already rich with a tax giveaway.”, reports the Mirror US.
His statement highlighted that nearly 17 million Americans, including Republican constituents, will lose their healthcare while 5 million Americans will lose their food assistance as the bill threatens sweeping cuts to SNAP benefits.
” I know firsthand how devastating this will be, because I grew up in a family that only made it because of these lifelines,” Martin added.
“Billionaires don’t need more help, working families do. Democrats will stand shoulder to shoulder with working families to kick these Republicans out of their seats in 2026,” Martin concluded.
The bill is now set to return to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson is tasked with passing it before Trump’s Fourth of July ultimatum.
On Monday, Johnson gave reporters a firm assurance, declaring they will pass the bill “one way or another.”
Embodying an expansion of Trump’s tax cut vision from his first term, the bill not only carries forward these reductions but also provisions for military funding and pursues his momentous deportation ambitions through cuts to Medicaid, energy finding, and various food aid initiatives.
Prior to its passage in the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office had projected a worrying $3.3 trillion surge in the national debt over ten years. The CBO further cautioned that should the law come into effect, healthcare coverage could be stripped from nearly 12 million people by 2034.
Senator Collins, breaking ranks with her Republican colleagues, voiced her opposition based on the “harmful impact it will have on Medicaid.”
She highlighted that close to 400,000 Maine residents, roughly a third of the state’s population, depend on Medicaid services.
“I strongly support extending the tax relief for families and small businesses. My vote against this bill stems primarily from the harmful impact it will have on Medicaid, affecting low-income families and rural health care providers like our hospitals and nursing homes,” Collins explained in her public statement.