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Senate GOP passes Trump's sweeping policy bill, setting up decisive vote in the House
The U.S. Capitol on June 28. Republicans in Congress have been racing to pass President Trump's signature domestic policy bill and have it to his desk by July 4.
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Senate Republicans have passed President Trump's signature domestic policy bill, setting the stage for a final vote in the House on legislation that would cut trillions of dollars in taxes while scaling back spending on Medicaid, food assistance and clean energy programs.
The final vote was 51-50 with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie. Three Republicans broke ranks and voted against the bill: Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Kentucky's Rand Paul. The bill now heads to the House, where some GOP lawmakers are already signaling major objections.
Tuesday's vote capped weeks of contentious negotiations between fiscal hawks who wanted deeper spending cuts, and a handful of other Republicans who expressed concerns that cuts in the bill could have deep impacts across the country.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., walks to the Senate floor during overnight votes at the U.S. Capitol on July 1.
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The bill would extend the tax cuts that were passed by Republicans in 2017, preventing a potential hike in rates at the end of this year when the current provisions are set to expire. Republicans are offsetting some of those costs with cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, along with major changes to Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that provides health care for roughly 70 million low-income, elderly and disabled Americans. Early estimates suggest around 11 million people could lose coverage under the GOP bill.
Facing growing pressure from the White House, Republicans were able to strike a delicate balance and pass the bill with just days to go before a self-imposed July 4 deadline. The vote once again highlighted President Trump's ability to unify fractious wings inside the GOP.
"With this legislation, we're fulfilling the mandate we were entrusted with last November and setting our country and the American people up to be safer, stronger and more prosperous," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after the vote.
Republicans in the House and Senate must agree on identical versions of the plan before sending the legislation to Trump for his signature. The Senate version may not satisfy the many divided factions of the narrow GOP majority in the House.
The Senate also moved to rein in what are known as provider taxes — a tax states have used to secure more federal matching dollars for Medicaid. To alleviate lawmakers who said the change risked the collapse of many rural hospitals, the Senate ultimately included a new $50 billion fund to support rural hospitals. That program would begin in 2026 and funds would be spread out over five years.
Following the vote, Collins said she was unable to support the legislation even after leaders included more money to support rural hospitals.
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