US President Donald Trump on Tuesday responded to the Senate’s passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” He called the narrow passage of his sweeping tax and spending package as “music to my ears.” The president was holding a roundtable discussion at a newly opened migrant detention facility in Florida when a reporter broke the news. “Wow, music to my ears,” Trump responded. “I was also wondering how we’re doing, because I know this is primetime, it shows that I care about you.”
Trump also praised Vice President JD Vance, who cast the dramatic tie-breaking vote that pushed the nearly 1,000-page legislation through the Senate after an 18-hour voting marathon. “He’s doing a good job,” Trump said, before adding: “It tells you there’s something for everyone. … It’s a great bill. There is something for everyone, and I think it’s going to go very nicely in the House. Actually, I think it will be easier in the House than it was in the Senate.”
The bill seeks to extend Trump-era tax cuts at a cost of $4.5 trillion, significantly boost military spending, and allocate funding for mass deportations and expanded border security. While Tuesday’s Senate passage marks a significant milestone, the bill still faces a separate vote in the House of Representatives, where opposition is brewing, even among Republicans. Several lawmakers have raised concerns over a controversial provision that would eliminate roughly $1 trillion in subsidised health care, potentially stripping millions of low-income Americans of coverage.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the slow pace of proceedings, accusing Republicans of stalling due to internal disagreements. “They have got a lot of members who were promised things that they may not be able to deliver on. And so they’re just stalling,” Schumer said. “But we are just pushing forward amendment after amendment. They don’t like these amendments. The public is on our side in almost every amendment we do.”
Senate Democrats used the amendment process to challenge proposed cuts to health care, food assistance programs, and clean energy tax credits, key areas of contention in President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending bill. Despite unified resistance from Democrats, Trump retained enough backing in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority. Republican Majority Leader John Thune faced a tight margin, able to lose just one more vote after conservative Senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis came out against the bill.