Today's News: Senate Continues Moving Trump’s Comprehensive Tax and Spending Bill Forward

Republicans are striving to meet a self-imposed July 4 deadline against strong Democratic opposition and internal party divisions over the bill’s projected multi-trillion-dollar debt increase.

Terrence Dorsey

Jul 01, 2025

Photo: Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

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Date: June 29-30, 2025
Topic: Senate Continues Moving Trump’s Comprehensive Tax and Spending Bill Forward
Summary: The U.S. Senate is currently engaged in a marathon voting session to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” a sweeping legislative package. This bill aims to permanently extend 2017 tax cuts, introduce new tax breaks for tipped workers and overtime, and allocate substantial funds to border security and national defense. To offset these costs, it proposes significant reductions to social safety-net programs, notably Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps). Republicans are striving to meet a self-imposed July 4 deadline, contending with strong Democratic opposition and internal party divisions over the bill’s projected multi-trillion-dollar increase to the national debt and its deep cuts to health benefits, which are anticipated to cause millions to lose insurance. The legislation’s final passage remains uncertain, particularly regarding its reception in the House of Representatives.

Sources

Key Points

The Senate is currently undergoing a “marathon voting session” or “vote-a-rama” to consider numerous amendments before a final vote.
Republicans are aiming to pass the bill by a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
The bill is projected to add trillions of dollars to the national debt, with estimates around $3 to $3.3 trillion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) using traditional scoring methods.
All articles highlight substantial proposed cuts to Medicaid, which are expected to result in millions of people losing health insurance coverage.
The bill faces strong opposition from Democrats, who are employing delay tactics and introducing amendments.
It also faces internal divisions within the Republican party, with some senators expressing concerns over the debt impact or the depth of Medicaid cuts.
Even if the bill passes the Senate, its fate in the House of Representatives remains uncertain due to differing concerns among House Republicans.

Unique Highlights

The New York Times uniquely identifies specific Republican senators beyond the known opponents (Thom Tillis and Rand Paul) who are still undecided, including Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Cynthia Lummis. It also details Senator Ron Johnson’s demand for an amendment to further slash Medicaid by changing the federal payment formula.
CNN provides specific CBO estimates for people losing health insurance: 11.8 million under the Senate bill compared to 10.9 million under the House version. It also details the distinct work requirements for parents in the Senate (ages 14 and older) versus the House (parents of dependent children exempted).
NBC News focuses on the “winners and losers” of the bill, quantifying potential job losses (nearly 500,000 healthcare jobs) and detailing the expansion of the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000, benefiting specific income groups and high-tax states. It also notes a prohibition on Medicaid funding for entities providing abortions, including Planned Parenthood.
Fox News primarily focuses on public opinion, providing specific poll numbers from multiple sources (Fox News, The Washington Post, Pew Research, Quinnipiac University) indicating significant public opposition to the bill, along with a detailed breakdown of partisan support.
The Washington Post highlights the Democratic delay tactic of demanding the entire 940-page bill be read aloud on the Senate floor, a process that took nearly 16 hours. It also quotes Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) on Medicaid’s purpose and Senator Jim Justice (R-West Virginia) warning against cuts that would “hurt our rural hospitals.”
The Wall Street Journal explains that Republicans are using “budget reconciliation” to pass the bill with a simple majority. It details specific amendments proposed, such as Senator Rick Scott’s (R-Florida) attempt to roll back Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and Senator Susan Collins’s (R-Maine) proposal for additional rural healthcare funding and a higher top income-tax bracket. The article also notes the Senate parliamentarian’s ruling against including increased Medicaid funding for Alaska and Hawaii in reconciliation.

Contrasting Details

Deficit Calculation Method:
- The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal highlight Republicans' use of an “accounting gimmick” or “current policy baseline” to assert that extending expiring tax cuts does not add to the deficit.
- CNN explicitly details the difference between this “current policy baseline” (which shows a cost of roughly $508 billion) and the CBO’s traditional “current law baseline” (which projects nearly $3.3 trillion added to the deficit). Other sources, like NBC News and The Washington Post, primarily cite the $3-3.3 trillion CBO estimate without elaborating on the alternative Republican accounting method.
Depth of Medicaid Cuts:
- CNN, NBC News, and The New York Times explicitly state that the Senate version of the bill includes deeper cuts to Medicaid than the earlier House-passed version. CNN provides specific figures: $930 billion over a decade for the Senate version versus $800 billion for the House version.
Rural Healthcare Funding:
- NBC News states the Senate bill includes a $25 billion fund for rural hospitals.
- The Wall Street Journal indicates that Senator Collins seeks $25 billion more for rural healthcare, implying an existing fund that she wants to double, which is a subtle difference in framing compared to NBC News stating a fund is included.
Senator Thom Tillis’s Opposition and Re-election Decision:
- The New York Times states Senator Tillis (R-North Carolina) announced he would not seek re-election after coming under harsh attack by President Trump for his opposition to the bill.
- The Washington Post states he announced his decision after he could not win changes to the bill to spare his state’s rural hospitals from funding cuts.
- The Wall Street Journal notes his announcement came “hours after Trump threatened to recruit a primary challenger against him.” While all mention his opposition and re-election decision, the immediate trigger or primary reason cited for his decision varies slightly in emphasis.

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