‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Nears Key Vote as GOP Eyes Legislative Win
By Damon Elder
The U.S. Senate remained locked in a marathon “vote-a-rama” early this morning as Republican lawmakers continued internal negotiations on the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a sweeping tax and spending overhaul central to President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda.
Despite procedural wrangling and policy disputes among Senate Republicans, GOP leadership is aiming for final passage in the coming hours. The bill is being advanced under budget reconciliation rules, allowing it to pass the Senate with a simple majority.
Key GOP senators remain divided. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who recently announced he will not seek re-election, said he will vote against the bill, citing concerns over deep Medicaid cuts. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also confirmed his opposition. However, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a key holdout, declared his support late Monday, stating, “This is about as good as we can get.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would increase the federal deficit by approximately $3.3 trillion over the next decade and result in nearly 12 million more Americans becoming uninsured, largely due to cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
As AltsWire has previously reported, the legislation also includes significant modifications to the federal opportunity zone program, which will impact fund structuring, capital gain deferral periods, and eligibility criteria for newly designated zones. These changes remain under review by Senate staff as part of the final amendment package.
Senators are still hammering out amendment language, particularly around Medicaid provider taxes, SALT deduction caps, rural hospital subsidies, and so-called “baseline” budget accounting rules. These issues have become flashpoints during the late-night amendment process.
Even if the Senate clears the bill, as expected, its future in the U.S. House of Representatives is far from certain. Fiscal conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus are already voicing strong objections. They argue the Senate version’s projected $651 billion deficit increase — excluding interest — violates previous budget caps and undermines GOP pledges of fiscal restraint.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has expressed optimism that the conference will ultimately unify around the legislation, but the coming days are likely to see intense negotiations and possible revisions to win over hardline members.
Bottom line: Senate Republicans are nearing a major legislative milestone with passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. But as the bill heads to the House, deep fractures remain within the GOP on fiscal policy, setting the stage for another round of high-stakes negotiations.
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