The GOP worked on Saturday night to get the Big, Beautiful Bill passed in the Senate.
CBS reported late on Saturday night that the GOP was getting ready to vote on the Big, Beautiful, Bill promoted by President Trump.
The Senate was holding a key test vote on President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” Saturday evening, even as it was unclear whether the tax and spending measure has enough support to lift it over the hurdle. After the vote had gotten underway, Vice President JD Vance arrived on Capitol Hill in case he would need to cast a tiebreaking vote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Friday he wasn’t certain he had the votes to advance the bill, as the upper chamber awaited decisions on whether a number of provisions complied with the Senate’s reconciliation rules, which allow Republicans to pass the bill with a simple majority. Major policy disputes also remained.
Senate Republicans did not release an updated version of their bill until late Friday night, giving senators little time to digest it before taking an initial procedural vote that’s necessary to move toward final passage.
JD Vance was there to make a tie breaking vote if needed.
BREAKING Vice President JD Vance arrives at the Capitol to Break the tie on the Big Beautiful Bill
VANCE SAVES THE DAY ❤️
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) June 29, 2025
McConnell votes yes.
HOLY SH*T Mitch McConnell actually voted yes to President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’. HUGE pic.twitter.com/NR04KAgwI7
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) June 28, 2025
In the end all but two GOP Senators voted for the bill and it cleared a major hurdle and moved forward.
President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill cleared a critical hurdle Saturday night after the Senate voted largely along party lines to start debate on the sweeping tax and immigration package.
Senators voted 51 to 49 to advance the bill following Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming throwing their support behind opening debate on the measure. Every Senate Democrat voted “no,” delivering on Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s pledge that his entire caucus would oppose the president’s domestic policy bill.
Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voted against the motion to proceed, citing deep substantive concerns with the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune held the vote open for more than three hours as Senate GOP leadership and Vice President JD Vance lobbied GOP holdouts to back the measure.
Johnson initially voted against the motion to proceed, arguing the bill needed to incorporate more deficit reduction and that the quick vote did not allow for sufficient debate on the fiscal impacts of the budget package. Senate GOP leadership unveiled revised text shortly before midnight Friday.