The Senate voted Saturday to launch into debate on President Trump’s “big beautiful” spending bill, after Republican leaders spent hours working to gain enough support to approve the 940-page document.
The multi-trillion dollar bill narrowly advanced in a 51-49 procedural vote, despite opposition from two Republican lawmakers who joined their Democratic colleagues in an attempt to block the measure from reaching the Senate floor.
Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rand Paul (R-KY) were the holdouts after they publicly declared that they wouldn’t be backing the bill in its current form.
Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson initially voted against the procedural motion but flipped at the eleventh hour.
Vice President JD Vance had arrived at Capitol Hill earlier in the night and remained on standby ready to cast his tie-breaking vote as Republicans remained divided throughout the nearly four hour proceeding.
