Senate Republicans Pass Framework for Trump’s Tax and Spending Plan After Overnight Session

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans worked through the night and into early Saturday to pass a framework for trillions in tax cuts and spending reductions, overcoming Democratic opposition in pursuit of what President Donald Trump has dubbed the “big, beautiful bill,” a key element of his agenda.

The vote, which largely followed party lines at 51-48, saw notable dissent from two Republican senators. The timing was politically sensitive, given economic uncertainty following Trump’s tariffs and warnings about rising consumer costs and a possible recession. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky both voted against the proposal.

However, with Trump’s support, GOP leaders prevailed. The approval now sets the stage for Republicans to push a tax cut bill through both houses of Congress in the coming months, despite Democratic objections, mirroring their success during Trump’s first term when they had unified control in Washington.

“Let the voting begin,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Friday night.

Democrats aimed to make the process as politically challenging as possible, introducing around two dozen amendments that GOP senators will need to defend before the upcoming midterm elections.

These included proposals to disallow tax breaks for the wealthiest, end Trump’s tariffs, limit his efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, and protect programs like Medicaid and Social Security. One amendment, prompted by the Trump administration’s use of Signal, sought to prevent military personnel from using commercial messaging apps to share war plans. While all failed, a GOP amendment to safeguard Medicare and Medicaid was adopted.

Democrats claimed Republicans were setting the stage to cut vital social safety net programs in order to fund over $5 trillion in tax cuts that they argue primarily benefit the wealthy.

“Trump’s policies are a disaster,” stated Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, along with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, he added. “Republicans could snuff it out tonight, if they wanted.”

Republicans defended their actions as preventing a tax increase for most American families, arguing that without congressional action, the individual and estate tax cuts enacted in 2017 would expire at the end of the year.

The Senate package also incorporates other Republican priorities, such as $175 billion to support Trump’s deportation efforts, which are facing funding shortages, and another $175 billion for the Pentagon to expand the military, stemming from a prior budget initiative.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the second-highest ranking Republican, asserted that voters gave his party a mandate in November, and the Senate’s budget plan fulfills that mandate.

“It fulfills our promises to secure the border, to rebuild our economy and to restore peace through strength,” Barrasso stated.

The framework now proceeds to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., may bring it to a vote as early as next week, aiming to finalize it by Memorial Day.

The House and Senate must reconcile their differences. The House version includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over a decade and around $2 trillion in budget reductions, with proposed changes to Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs. Some House Republicans have criticized the Senate’s approach.

Republican senators used their majority to reject Democratic amendments, often through vocal votes.

Among the more than two dozen amendments offered were several aimed at protecting safety net programs. Some Republicans, including Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, joined Democrats in voting to preserve some of these programs, particularly in the area of healthcare. Collins opposed the entire package, warning against significant Medicaid cuts.

Collins stated that potential cuts to the health program in the House bill “would be very detrimental to a lot of families and disabled individuals and seniors in my state.”

Paul questioned the financial calculations used by his colleagues, arguing that they would increase the debt burden. “Something’s fishy,” he said.

One Republican, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, voiced concerns about tax breaks adding to federal deficits and said he received assurances that Trump officials would seek cuts elsewhere.

“This vote isn’t taking place in a vacuum,” he said, referencing the disruption caused by Trump’s tariffs.

A key challenge will be for the House to accept the Senate’s budget plan, which allows for extending tax cuts under a scoring method that does not consider them as adding to future deficits—an approach many House Republicans reject. A new estimate from the Joint Committee on Taxation projects the tax breaks will add $5.5 trillion over the next decade when including interest, and $4.6 trillion without interest.

In addition, the senators included an extra $1.5 trillion to potentially fund some of Trump’s campaign pledges, such as eliminating taxes on tips, Social Security benefits, and overtime, bringing the total cost to $7 trillion.

Republicans are also considering increasing the $10,000 deduction for state and local taxes, which lawmakers from states like New York, California, and New Jersey consider essential for their support.

The House and Senate also disagree on raising the debt limit to allow for more borrowing. The House plan increased the debt limit by $4 trillion, but the Senate raised it to $5 trillion to postpone further votes on the issue until after the next year’s midterm elections.

The Senate plan calls for just $4 billion in spending cuts, but GOP leadership emphasizes that this is a minimum and committees will look for significantly more.

GOP leaders are already facing concerns from fiscal conservatives who want trillions of dollars in spending cuts to help offset the tax breaks. Simultaneously, numerous lawmakers in swing districts and states are worried about the impact of these cuts on their constituents and their reelection prospects.

The GOP leadership has encouraged members to pass a budget plan, stating that they have time to resolve the difficult decisions about which tax breaks and spending cuts to include.

Extending the 2017 tax cuts would reduce taxes for approximately three-quarters of households but increase them for about 10%. By 2027, around 45% of the benefits from all the tax cuts would go to those earning approximately $450,000 or more, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, which analyzes tax issues.

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