Republicans in the United States Senate are having major issues tonight. Multiple Senators, including Rick Scott and Mike Lee, are demanding more budget cuts, while other Senators like Susan Collins support moving the budget bill forward, but won’t vote for it when it comes on a final vote.
Here’s where things stand. Right now, the Senate is taking a procedural vote to move the bill forward. If it passes (and that’s a big if) here’s what comes next: there will be a public reading the vote, then what is called a vote-a-rama where Senators will offer a plethora of amendments to the bill. I will try to come to Capitol Hill to interview Senators as it happens. The final vote on the bill will likely come at some point on Monday or Tuesday. Please consider subscribing to my Substack to support my work and allow me to keep you updated:
Given today’s chaos, I spoke with Kristen Crowell, the Executive Director of Fair Share America, an organization dedicated to providing awareness about the harmful impacts of the legislation. They are currently on a bus tour speaking out agains the bill and rallying constituents against vulnerable Senators and House members. Here’s the rest of the news you missed today:
We now have confirmation that the Senate budget bill will cut $930 billion from Medicaid. That's more than the House bill.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis opposes the GOP budget bill, citing "tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities."
Schumer plans to delay a vote on the Trump spending bill by forcing a full reading of its 900+ pages, potentially pushing the vote back by 24 hours, according to HuffPost.
Sen. Susan Collins voted to proceed on the budget bill but says she will oppose final passage without “substantial” changes.
Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) says he will oppose any Trump-backed spending bill that cuts Medicaid or threatens healthcare access in his district.
If passed, the bill would make ICE the nation’s largest jailer, with more detention funding than the entire federal Bureau of Prisons and more officers than the FBI.
Elon Musk criticized the latest Senate budget bill as "utterly insane and destructive," warning it would destroy millions of American jobs, strategically harm the country, and favor outdated industries at the expense of future-focused ones.
A group of Louisiana hospitals warned that Medicaid cuts in the Senate GOP’s bill “would be historic in their devastation,” calling the House version “a more workable solution.”
The National Association of Building Trades Unions warned that the Republicans' budget bill could be the biggest job-killing bill in U.S. history, threatening 1.75 million construction jobs—the equivalent of terminating over 1,000 Keystone XL projects.
Behind closed doors, the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has led to dangerously overcrowded detention facilities, where detainees endure inhumane conditions—lack of medical care, unsanitary environments, and prolonged confinement—amid a record-high population of over 56,000 immigrants in custody, far exceeding capacity.
Donald Trump is leveraging United States aid to Israel on dropping corruption charges against Bibi Netanyahu.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
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