Senate Squeaks Through Trump's Sweeping Bill
Washington is buzzing after the Senate rammed President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act through in dramatic fashion, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50-50 tie on July 1, 2025. That slim margin surprised nobody, but it’s only the first round in a bruising legislative fight that’s now headed back to the House of Representatives—and things are about to get even more unpredictable.
The Senate version isn’t a tiny tweak. We’re talking about a $4 trillion tax cut package that’s got fiscal hawks fretting and conservative activists cheering. It greens over $12.5 billion for modernizing air traffic control (something airlines have been begging for), takes a sledgehammer to Biden-era clean energy priorities, shutters certain clean energy tax credits, and prioritizes new spending at the border.
But here’s where it gets really thorny: the bill shreds Medicaid and SNAP funding, two programs relied on by millions. Republican lawmakers included deep cuts, betting that tough talk on the budget will play well with the party base. Healthcare organizations, on the flip side, warn that these reductions risk dropping millions of Americans from their health and food benefits. The Congressional Budget Office flagged that up to 8 million could lose coverage if the Medicaid changes survive final negotiations.
The state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap gets a surprising makeover too, jumping up from $10,000 to $40,000—a nod to lawmakers from high-tax states who’ve railed about the old ceiling for years. While that move appeases moderates and some Democrats whose constituents stand to save big, it also raises the bill's price tag and tempers its overall savings.
House Drama Awaits While Lobbyists Swarm
Now the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is back in Speaker Mike Johnson’s hands, and his razor-thin Republican majority means every vote will count. Johnson faces headaches from the conference’s far-right, who want deeper program cuts and stricter border measures, as well as swing-district Republicans wary of being painted as voting to hollow out Medicaid and SNAP right before an election year. Every internal split increases the risk of a stunning defeat on the House floor.
Meanwhile, the bill’s supporters aren’t sitting idle. Airlines for America and America’s Credit Unions are spending big on lobbying, arguing that tax relief and technology upgrades are critical for keeping the economy—and the skies—moving. But their messaging now competes with strong pushback from medical associations and anti-poverty groups, all warning that millions could suffer if benefits are slashed.
Even the name got caught in the crossfire. Senate Democrats managed to strike “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” from the official title during debate, calling it pure branding and a jab at the bill's substance. For Trump loyalists, the move stings, but it’s mostly symbolic—nobody in the media or Trump’s base plans to call it anything else.
The House must act fast. Trump and GOP leaders set a July 4 deadline to deliver his policy victory ahead of Independence Day. But every delay in negotiations makes that target look shakier. As fireworks fill the Washington sky, nobody’s betting on a quiet finish for this legislative saga.