Vance’s tiebreaking vote secures Senate approval for Trump-backed bill

Vice President JD Vance just tipped the scales in a nail-biter Senate vote to push through President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.

After grueling overnight talks and a 27-hour amendment marathon, the Senate passed this sweeping legislation with Vance’s tiebreaking vote on Tuesday, as The Hill reports, though it still faces a rocky road in the House over deeper cuts and internal GOP dissent.

Senators kicked off this legislative endurance test over the weekend, sacrificing holiday recess plans and canceling flights — some even nixing international trips such as Sen. Roger Wicker’s delegation to Portugal. The session started Monday at 9:30 a.m., stretching into a relentless 27-hour slog of amendments and debates. Talk about dedication to the grind.

Behind-the-scenes battles emerge

Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Finance Committee chair Mike Crapo, burned the midnight oil to win over key holdouts. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, wary of massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, proved a tough nut to crack. GOP heavyweights like Thune and Whip John Barrasso shadowed her from 3 a.m. until the vote passed near noon, finally securing her reluctant nod.

Negotiations weren’t just intense — they were a procedural circus. Four separate Medicaid proposals for Alaska got shot down by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough for violating budget reconciliation rules under the Byrd Rule. Eventually, a reworked plan to ease SNAP cuts for about 10 states and boost a rural hospital relief fund from $25 billion to $50 billion got the green light.

Murkowski herself called it “an agonizing process,” lamenting the rushed timeline. She’s not wrong — cramming monumental policy into an artificial deadline often leaves good sense at the door. Still, her concern for vulnerable Alaskans under these cuts shows that not all Republicans are blind to the human cost.

Tax cuts triumph

The bill’s core appeal lies in extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts, making corporate breaks permanent, and shielding tipped income and overtime pay from taxes. It even tosses in perks like deductions for interest on American-made car loans and “Trump savings accounts” for kids. Thune hailed it as a historic economic win, warning that failure would slap families under $400,000 with a $2.6 trillion tax hike.

Yet, the $900 billion in Medicaid cuts and slashed SNAP funding have even staunch conservatives like Sens. Josh Hawley, Jerry Moran, and Susan Collins raising eyebrows. Thune defends the cuts, arguing they ensure Medicaid benefits “go to people who should benefit,” not freeloaders. Fair point, but when rural hospitals teeter on bankruptcy, one wonders if the math truly adds up.

Democrats, predictably, cried foul, with Senate Leader Chuck Schumer blasting it as a “tax giveaway to the rich” that burdens the poor. He’s got a flair for drama, but when groceries, rent, and childcare already strain wallets, piling on social program cuts does sting. Still, isn’t personal responsibility part of the conservative creed, not endless handouts?

Democrat delays, pushback

Schumer wasn’t just grandstanding — he forced clerks to read the entire bill aloud overnight from Saturday to Sunday afternoon, a 16-hour stall tactic. Clever, but did it change any minds, or just waste everyone’s coffee supply? Turns out, delaying the inevitable only sharpens the resolve of those pushing for reform.

Public opinion isn’t exactly cheering, either — a Fox News poll shows 59% of registered voters oppose the bill, with just 38% in favor. That’s a tough sell, even for a package promising border security boosts of $160 billion and $150 billion for the Pentagon. Numbers like that suggest the heartland isn’t buying what Washington’s cooking.

In the GOP camp, dissent brews as Sens. Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, and Susan Collins voted no, joining every Democrat in opposition. Even Murkowski admitted she “struggled mightily” with the impact on the vulnerable. Her candor is refreshing in a town often allergic to admitting doubt.

House hurdles loom on horizon

Now, the bill stumbles toward the House, where deeper Medicaid reductions, a faster phaseout of clean-energy credits, and tweaks to state and local tax deduction caps have at least six Republicans ready to revolt. Rep. Thomas Massie is likely a hard no, griping about the $3 trillion debt increase. When fiscal hawks start squawking, you know the road gets bumpy.

Speaker Mike Johnson scrambled with a Monday call to soothe GOP nerves over the Medicaid slashes, but the fractures are real. Schumer, smelling blood, vowed Democrats will keep fighting “in July and August,” organizing in states hit hardest by potential hospital closures. Good luck with that—turns out, actions have consequences, and voters don’t forget come election time.

For now, the Senate’s marathon win stands as a testament to GOP grit, even if it’s a pyrrhic victory with the House battle ahead. This bill, with its $5 trillion debt ceiling hike and tax relief for working folks, carries Trump’s signature bold vision. But if it falters over cuts that hit too close to home, conservatives might learn the hard way that compassion isn’t a progressive monopoly.