After more than 24 hours of intense negotiations and amendment debates, a sweeping Republican-backed tax and spending bill appears to have stalled in the US Senate, lacking the crucial support needed for passage.
At the heart of the delay is opposition from four key Republican senators—Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul of Kentucky—who have publicly stated they cannot support the nearly 1,000-page legislation in its current form. With the GOP holding a slim Senate majority, party leaders can only afford to lose three votes.
The legislation, a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s second-term economic agenda, would extend major tax cuts introduced during his first term. To offset the lost revenue, the bill proposes deep spending cuts to programs such as healthcare for low-income Americans and food assistance—an area where Republicans remain divided.
Despite the deadlock, Republican Senate leadership projected confidence on Tuesday morning. Senate Majority Leader John Thune was seen pacing the chamber floor, visibly engaged in last-minute talks as final votes were tentatively scheduled for 11:00 EST (16:00 BST).
Vice-President JD Vance arrived early on Capitol Hill to prepare for potential tie-breaking votes, already helping one amendment pass by the slimmest of margins. His presence signals just how close the vote remains and how pivotal every vote has become.
The Senate’s ongoing “vote-a-rama”—a grueling series of votes on amendments—has exposed deep internal fractures within the party. Republican leaders are holding off on a final vote until they are certain of having the numbers to push the bill through.
Once passed in the Senate, the bill must return to the House of Representatives, where it will face another uphill battle. The House narrowly approved its own version of the legislation in May by a single vote, and any Senate revisions must now be reconciled. With only a few votes securing their majority, Republicans risk losing momentum in the lower chamber.
President Trump, who had urged lawmakers to deliver the bill to his desk by July 4, acknowledged on Tuesday that meeting the deadline would be challenging. “I’d love to do July 4th but I think it’s very hard to do July 4th… I would say maybe July 4th or somewhere around there,” he told reporters before leaving the White House.
Democrats in both chambers remain united in their opposition to the bill. In the Senate, they have used procedural tactics to slow its progress and highlight what they view as harmful cuts to essential programs.
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