President Donald Trump’s big domestic policy plan, nicknamed the “Big Beautiful Bill,” is officially on the Senate floor, and let’s just say the vibes aren’t exactly bipartisan. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan federal agency, dropped a report saying this bill could rack up more than $3.3 trillion in new debt. Even more alarming: it could cut healthcare for around 12 million people.
Despite all that, the bill barely squeaked through a preliminary vote late Saturday night, 51 to 49. That alone should tell you how tight the situation is. Two Republicans joined every single Democrat in voting no, which isn’t great news for GOP leaders who are trying to push this bill through as quickly as possible.
One Republican lawmaker has already had enough. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who voted against the bill, announced on Sunday that he won’t be seeking reelection. His reason? The bill’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, which provides healthcare for low-income, elderly, and disabled Americans. Tillis has made it clear he’s not on board with gutting the program, according to The New York Times.
The Medicaid cuts are stirring up strong reactions on both sides. Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, didn’t hold back during a CNN interview on Sunday: “This is tax cuts for the wealthiest to end up cutting healthcare, plain and simple.”
Still, not every Republican is against the plan. Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma defended it in an interview with NBC, saying it’s about cutting government waste and making sure help goes to the right people. “We don’t pay people in this country to be lazy,” Mullin said. “We want to give them an opportunity. And when they’re going through a hard time, we want to give them a helping hand.”
Meanwhile, Democrats are already pulling out every procedural trick in the book to stall the vote. The bill spans nearly 1,000 pages, and under Senate rules, lawmakers forced a full reading of it to eat up time. They’ve got 20 hours to debate it now, and they’re planning to use every minute.
With 53 Republicans in the Senate, party leaders can’t afford more than three defectors. If they lose four, it’s game over — unless Vice President JD Vance steps in with the tie-breaking vote.
The biggest issue? No one’s really sure if this thing is going to pass. With sky-high stakes — from trillions in debt to millions potentially losing healthcare — this isn’t just another policy fight. It’s a full-on political brawl that could shape the country’s future in a big way.