Trump Administration Live Updates: Senate Debate on Republicans’ Policy Bill Stretches Into Third Day

The U.S. Capitol on Monday.Credit...Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

Here’s the most recent update.

On Tuesday morning, Senate Republicans were in a hurry to secure the votes needed to pass their extensive tax and domestic policy bill, following an overnight session filled with voting and negotiations with dissenters that left President Trump’s agenda uncertain.

The debate over the package extended into a third day as party leaders worked diligently to ensure the legislation remained on schedule to meet Mr. Trump’s target for enactment by July 4. Throughout Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday, Republicans stood resolute against various Democratic attempts to contest every aspect of the proposal, especially its reductions to Medicaid and federal nutrition programs, along with tax breaks for the affluent.

However, the greater challenge for the G.O.P. was the persistent doubts within its own party regarding the bill, which polls indicate is significantly unpopular among voters. Fiscal conservatives, concerned that the proposal would add at least $3.3 trillion to an already escalating national debt, were advocating for larger reductions in Medicaid to mitigate more of the expenses. Moderate Republicans were pushing to reduce the bill’s cuts, worried about the repercussions on their constituents’ access to health care and other government services.

The proposed legislation would prolong approximately $3.8 trillion in tax cuts established in 2017 that are set to expire at the year's end, and introduce new tax cuts that Mr. Trump campaigned for, including those for tips and overtime pay, while enhancing funding for national and border security. To partially offset the substantial costs, it would reduce spending on Medicaid and federal nutrition assistance, as well as clean energy initiatives. Additionally, it would increase the federal debt ceiling by $5 trillion.

Thom Tillis of North Carolina is one of two Republican senators who have said they will not vote for the measure.Credit...Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

With Democrats unanimously against the legislation, Republican leaders were advancing the measure through Congress by employing special rules that protect it from a filibuster and necessitate only a simple majority for approval. However, they could only tolerate three defections from their own party's senators — and even in that scenario, they would require Vice President JD Vance to cast a tie-breaking vote. Up to this point, two Republicans, Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Rand Paul from Kentucky, have declared their opposition to the measure.

As night descended on Monday, at least six other Republican senators had unresolved issues, with several citing specific policy concerns that they indicated could influence their decisions and that had not yet been voted on.

Senator John Thune, the Republican majority leader from South Dakota, worked late into the night alongside other party leaders in an effort to persuade them. He informed reporters late Monday that they were “just figuring out what everyone has to have in terms of votes and trying to construct a list,” expressing optimism that the legislation would ultimately pass. By Tuesday morning, he stated that his party was “close” to finalizing the bill, although the precise timing of a final vote remained uncertain.

Simultaneously, the measure continued to evolve. Senators voted overwhelmingly overnight to remove a provision that would effectively prevent states from enacting and enforcing laws regarding artificial intelligence for the next ten years. The vote concluded with a tally of 99-1, with Mr. Tillis being the only dissenting vote.

Even if Senate Republicans succeed in advancing the bill, its future remains uncertain in the closely divided House. Following extensive negotiations that allowed their bill to pass by the slimmest of margins last month, several representatives have expressed concern over the changes made in the Senate’s version of the legislation.

Hard-right conservatives in the House have voiced worries about the impact on the deficit, a concern heightened by Elon Musk, the nation’s largest Republican donor. Additionally, several moderate Republicans have raised objections to the Medicaid cuts included in the Senate measure, which are more severe than those approved by the House in May.

Republicans have stated that they are implementing changes to Medicaid aimed at enhancing the program's sustainability by eliminating "waste, fraud, and abuse." However, nonpartisan evaluations revealed that the legislation would cut nearly $1 trillion from the program, potentially resulting in over 11 million individuals losing their health coverage.

Democrats have concentrated heavily on these cuts as they criticize the bill. Much of Monday was dedicated to voting on their party's initiatives to compel Republicans to amend the Medicaid funding provisions, proposals that had little chance of success but were designed to force Republicans into making difficult votes that could impact their electoral prospects.

Mr. Tillis, who announced on Sunday that he would not seek re-election next year, has pointed to the Medicaid cuts as one of his primary objections to the legislation.

Senators Lisa Murkowski from Alaska and Susan Collins from Maine had not yet made a commitment regarding their votes on the bill, expressing separate concerns about the funding reductions. A proposal by Ms. Collins to increase the size of a special rural health fund included in the bill, intended to mitigate the impact of its significant Medicaid cuts, and to rais

e taxes on wealthy individuals, was rejected in the early hours of Tuesday morning, casting doubt on her support.

Ms. Murkowski has been vocal in making the case that the legislation would hurt Alaska, and Republican leaders had stuffed the bill with benefits for her state in hopes of winning her support. But it was not clear whether some of those sweeteners — particularly one to exempt her state from new work requirements in the bill for nutrition assistance — would survive. The Senate’s parliamentarian, who enforces the chamber’s rules, had already said that a separate provision shielding Alaska from having to pay for a share of food assistance payments currently financed by the federal government could be included, while one insulating the state from new Medicaid work requirements could not.

At the same time, a group of conservatives, including Senators Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, have pressed for further cuts to Medicaid, through a proposal to alter the formula used to determine what share of the program’s bills are paid by the federal government.

After more than 20 hours of debate, that amendment had not yet come to a vote. Mr. Johnson, a fiscal hawk, has said he would wait to see whether it was adopted before deciding whether he would support the overall bill.

But in a sign of the divisions among Republicans, if Mr. Scott’s amendment were to succeed, the measure could lose the support of senators who are already concerned that it cuts Medicaid too deeply.

Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.