Senate Votes to Advance Trump’s Tax and Immigration Bill
On Saturday night, President Donald Trump’s extensive tax and immigration bill passed an important milestone as the Senate voted, largely along party lines, to initiate debate on the proposal.
The vote concluded at 51 to 49, with a few Republican senators—Rick Scott from Florida, Mike Lee from Utah, and Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming—offering their support. Every Senate Democrat opposed the bill, publicly committing to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that they would stand against the president’s domestic policy initiative.
Meanwhile, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis expressed their dissent, raising significant concerns about the legislation. After more than three hours of voting, Senate Majority Leader John Thune secured confirmations from the GOP leadership and Vice President JD Vance, persuading reluctant members to back the measure.
Initially, Johnson had voted against moving forward, emphasizing the need for more focus on deficit reductions and arguing that a hasty vote wouldn’t allow adequate discussion on the budget’s ramifications. Just before midnight Friday, Senate GOP leaders released a revised text of the bill.
This successful vote opens the door to 20 hours of debate as the Senate engages in a lengthy session of votes known colloquially as “Voting the Llama.” Schumer has also ensured the entire 940-page bill is read aloud by Senate clerks.
Before arriving at the final vote, senators are anticipated to consider a wide array of amendments from both parties.
Mike Lee, one of the GOP senators who ended up voting “Yes,” walked back his earlier controversial public land sales proposal after fellow Republican Senator Tim Sheehy from Montana faced backlash for seeking amendments to strip certain provisions from the bill. Both Sheehy and fellow Montana Senator Steve Daines opposed the sale of federal lands, even when considering exemptions for Montana.
Lee has indicated he plans to collaborate with the president to secure housing rather than specific federal properties.
Congressional Republicans are employing a budget adjustment strategy to navigate past Democratic objections, aiming to pass this pivotal bill with a simple majority. The legislation encompasses a permanent extension of the Trump tax cuts from 2017, safeguarding certain Americans from temporary taxes on emerging wages and overtime, while allocating billions for immigration enforcement and military priorities, alongside a goal of cutting at least $1.5 trillion in government expenditures.
Georgia’s Democratic Senator John Ossoff is facing off against the president’s advancements in this bill, viewed as a particularly vulnerable incumbent ahead of reelection. Republicans assert that the proposed taxes notably exclude any increases on households earning under $400,000 a year, as noted by members of the Senate Treasury Committee.
A spokesperson lamented that Ossoff seems more focused on appeasing the radical left rather than benefiting Georgia families, suggesting that in 2026, voters will hold him accountable for his extreme policies.
While most GOP senators support the larger components of the legislation, there are notable disagreements that remain unresolved. Tillis, who is among the more vulnerable Republicans for reelection in 2026, has stated he will vote “no” both on the ongoing motion and the final passage, citing concerns that the bill could negatively impact Medicaid.
He previously cautioned that cutting the Medicaid provider tax cap could jeopardize North Carolina’s access to substantial federal Medicaid funds, potentially leading to vast coverage losses for hundreds of thousands of residents.
“This situation could force states into difficult choices, like cutting coverage for many Medicaid beneficiaries or reducing necessary services,” Tillis commented before the vote.
Thune, however, advocates for the necessity of revising the provider tax, as it is a funding model that enables states to capture additional federal Medicaid dollars.
Paul also opposed the bill, arguing it includes a $5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, a move that Kentucky Republicans are generally against, given their long-standing opposition to extensive government borrowing.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley was initially viewed as a potential holdout but ultimately supported the bill during procedural and final votes. He cited the belated crackdown on the Medicaid provider tax and the introduction of a Rural Hospital Fund aimed at aiding hospitals poised to lose Medicaid support as reasons for his backing.
