After nearly 24 hours of debate - starting yesterday morning and stretching overnight - theUS Senate approved Donald Trump'smassive tax-cut and spending bill Passing by the narrowest of margins, the bill, as it stood on Tuesday, contained key parts of the agenda he campaigned on last year. Trump celebrated its passage during a visit to a migrant detention facility in Florida. "It's a great bill," he said. "There is something for everyone." But in fact, while lawmakers may have gotten "something" they wanted, they likely faced concessions to achieve that - and ultimately to push the bill through the House on Tuesday. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said she worked hard to ensure the bill provided for her state and ultimately voted for it, but was still unhappy. She called the process "rushed". "My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognise that we're not there yet," she told reporters just outside the Senate floor, moments after the vote. In a game of political ping-pong, the bill now returns to the House, which passed its version of the bill weeks ago. If the narrow Republican majority in that chamber gives final approval, perhaps as early as Wednesday, the legislation can be presented to the president for his signature. But it may be a tough pill for some House Republicans to swallow. It includes massive new funding -$70bn - for Trump's immigration priorities. It boosts defence spending and makes the tax cuts Republicans passed in Trump's first term permanent. To offset this loss, it cuts funding for Biden-era environmental programmes and Medicaid, the health insurance programme for low-income Americans. The financial ledger isn't nearly balanced, however, as the package adds more than $3tn to the federal debt and raises the US borrowing authority by $5tn. Fiscal hard-liners have complained that the Senate watered down some of their original budget cuts. The right-wing House Freedom Caucus said the Senate proposal could add $650bn (£472bn) to the deficit each year. "It's not what we agreed to," caucus members said in a social media post on Monday. And centrists still are concerned about cuts in the bill, including reductions in federal payments covering health insurance for low-income Americans. The original House version was a balancing act that kept the various factions within the Republican Party just satisfied enough to vote yes. The Senate version now landing back in their laps may disrupt that balance. But the pressure on House Republicans to sign off on what Trump has called his "big, beautiful bill" will be enormous. The president has said he views the legislation as an integral part of his political legacy – a lasting change in government policy that, unlike executive orders, a future president cannot easily undo.
Facing intense pressure, House must now decide if Trump's bill is good enough
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"Senate Passes Trump's Tax-Cut and Spending Bill, House Decision Pending"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
The US Senate narrowly approved President Donald Trump's expansive tax-cut and spending bill after nearly 24 hours of intense debate, marking a significant step in his administration's legislative agenda. Trump celebrated the passage of the bill during a visit to a migrant detention facility in Florida, asserting that it was a comprehensive solution that offered benefits for everyone involved. However, the approval came with considerable concessions that lawmakers had to make to ensure its passage, raising concerns about the bill's implications for various stakeholders. Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, who played a vital role in securing provisions for her state, expressed dissatisfaction with the rushed process, noting that the bill still needed further refinement before it could be finalized. She urged the House to recognize the inadequacies of the current version, emphasizing the need for a more balanced approach to address the concerns of all parties involved.
The bill now returns to the House, which previously passed its version weeks ago, and it faces potential challenges due to the significant changes made by the Senate. The legislation includes substantial funding for Trump's immigration initiatives, an increase in defense spending, and the permanence of tax cuts from his first term. However, these measures come at a cost, as the bill is projected to add over $3 trillion to the federal debt and increase the US borrowing authority by $5 trillion. Fiscal conservatives within the House Freedom Caucus have voiced their discontent, arguing that the Senate's revisions could exacerbate the deficit by approximately $650 billion annually. Meanwhile, centrist Republicans are worried about the reductions in federal health insurance payments for low-income Americans. The delicate balance that the original House version maintained among different Republican factions is at risk, putting immense pressure on House Republicans to approve what Trump has dubbed his 'big, beautiful bill,' which he sees as a cornerstone of his political legacy that future administrations may find difficult to overturn.
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