01 July 2025 - US Senate holds marathon vote on Trump's 'big beautiful bill'
Senate works overnight as marathon voting session stretches on for Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
Morgan Rimmer, Tami Luhby and Sarah Ferris (CNN News, 01/07/2025)
A marathon voting session on President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill is underway in the Senate and has stretched overnight into the early hours of Tuesday morning after a weekend of negotiations and delays. The vote-a-rama – an open-ended series of votes on amendments, some political, some substantive – started around 9:35 a.m. on Monday and is still going. The extended voting session provides an opportunity for Republicans to make any eleventh-hour adjustments to the package and Democrats to push on GOP weak points in the bill and put their colleagues on the spot. Those politically tough votes are likely to provide fodder for campaign ads down the line. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters around 4:30 a.m. “we’re close,” saying they still have “a few amendment votes” until final passage. But Thune did not give a number for how many amendment votes are left and it’s unclear how long the process will take with no final vote yet scheduled.
Senate holds marathon ‘vote-a-rama’ on Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ – US politics live
Yohannes Lowe (The Guardian, 01/07/2025)
The US Senate is holding a marathon vote on a sprawling budget that is vital to Donald Trump’s agenda and would see sweeping tax breaks and cuts to healthcare and food programmes if passed. Senators have convened at the Capitol for a process known as “vote-a-rama”, in which lawmakers will propose amendments to the legislation over what is expected to be many hours. Democrats say the bill’s tax cuts would disproportionately benefit the wealthy at the expense of social programs for lower-income Americans. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (yes, it is formally called this) is expected to add an estimated $3.3tn to the national debt over the next decade. Republicans are rushing to pass the bill Trump’s self-imposed deadline of 4 July.
Highlights: Senate votes on amendments to Republicans' domestic policy package
NBC News Reporter (NBC News, 01/07/2025)
SENATE 'VOTE-A-RAMA': The Senate voted into the night on unlimited amendments to Republicans' domestic policy bill in what's known on Capitol Hill as a "vote-a-rama." Elon Musk renewed his criticism of the bill, vowing to start a new political party "the next day" if Congress passes the legislation. MORE CONGRESSIONAL RETIREMENTS: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who drew President Donald Trump's ire over the weekend for opposing the GOP agenda bill, announced yesterday that he will not seek re-election to a third term. Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Dwight Evans, D-Pa., released statements today saying they also will not run for re-election. BIBI TO WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House next week, an administration official said. The meeting comes as the United States ramps up efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Marathon Senate vote on Trump's big bill drags out as Republicans struggle to find path to passage
Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V (NBC News, 01/07/2025)
The Republican-controlled Senate held a marathon voting session Monday on President Donald Trump’s massive tax cut and spending bill, stretching out for more than 14 hours without a clear path to an endgame. The Senate was locked in the “vote-a-rama” process, in which senators can offer unlimited amendments. The goal of GOP leaders to wrap up Monday afternoon slipped as they struggled to to secure the simple majority needed to pass it. The 940-page legislation, which the Senate advanced on a 51-49 vote late Saturday, was still taking shape even as the amendments came to the floor, with GOP leaders hoping to use the session to satisfy concerns from wavering factions.
The Seal of the United States Senate. Wikipedia, Public Domain.
