Senate Passes ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill with VP Vance Tie-Breaking Vote
Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to pass President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” 51-50, after three Republican senators voted against the measure.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina all voted with Democrats against the bill.
House Republicans have a harried time ahead of them to reconcile the Senate’s version with their own and send the legislation to Trump’s desk for signature before his July 4th deadline.
The measure would permanently extend nearly $4 trillion in tax cuts that were set to expire, establishes new breaks from taxes on tips and overtime pay, increases funding for defense, border and immigration enforcement, and energy exploration, and cuts Medicaid and other entitlement programs.
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, however, was one of the outspoken members of the chamber to protest the bill’s impact on the deficit.
His office released a statement today explaining his vote for the Senate’s final version of the bill:
“With President Biden in the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress, Democrats had every opportunity to repeal the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and increase taxes on ‘the rich,’” Johnson said. “They did not do so. Instead of returning to a reasonable pre-pandemic level of spending and deficits, once the economy recovered, they incurred deficits averaging $1.9 trillion over four years. If that wasn’t bad enough, President Biden also left office with open borders and raging wars.”
“By passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we have avoided a $4 trillion automatic tax increase and a default on our debt,” the senator continued. “Due to the enormous messes Biden and congressional Democrats left us, we are also providing additional funding for border security and defense.”
Johnson, nevertheless, asserted that the measure is by no means perfect.
“While the bill is a step forward, we have only just begun the difficult task of reducing spending, and there is still a long way to go,” he said. “A rigorous effort will soon be announced to review every program and every line of the federal budget, looking for ways to reduce spending to a reasonable pre-pandemic level. I look forward to being fully involved in that effort to put America on a path to fiscal sustainability.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. expressed his gratitude to the 50 GOP senators, and the vice president, who voted in favor of the bill.
“This legislation cuts waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid—allowing us to deliver better care to America’s most vulnerable citizens,” Kennedy posted to X. “I look forward to the House passing this bill quickly so President Trump can sign it into law.”
