US Senate Holds Marathon Vote on Trump-Backed Immigration and Border Bill

By Tola Fasika Negash & Faith Barbara N Ruhinda Updated at 100 EAT on Tuesday 1 July 2025

The US Senate is locked in a marathon voting session over a sweeping budget bill that is central to President Donald Trump’s agenda. But after weeks of tense negotiations, the legislation’s fate remains uncertain.

Republicans who control both chambers of Congress are divided over how deeply to cut welfare programs in order to fund extended tax breaks outlined in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

Adding to the drama, Elon Musk once a close aide to Trump has renewed his criticism of the legislation, which Republicans are racing to pass before the 4 July deadline.

Even if the bill passes the Senate, it must return to the House of Representatives for a second vote. The House narrowly approved its own version last month, passing it by a single vote.

Senators are currently locked in a grueling amendment process known as “vote-a-rama,” debating changes to the nearly 1,000-page spending bill in a session that could stretch up to 20 hours. The all-night proceedings are expected to continue into Tuesday morning.

The legislation, a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s agenda, includes deep cuts to welfare programs and would significantly increase the national debt.

Elon Musk has escalated his attacks on the bill, calling it “insane.” The former Trump adviser pledged to oppose any Republican who “campaigned on reducing government spending” but then “immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history.”

The national debt currently stands at $36 trillion, according to the Treasury Department. If passed, the bill is projected to add $3.3 trillion to that total.

Elon Musk has once again floated the idea of launching a new political party, deepening his rift with Republican leaders over President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill.

In response, Trump took aim at Musk’s business interests, suggesting that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) a federal agency Musk once led — should investigate the substantial subsidies received by the Tesla CEO’s companies.

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”

As the Senate’s marathon “vote-a-rama” continued into the night, lawmakers shuttled between the Capitol floor for amendment votes and closed-door meetings out of view of reporters.

One controversial proposal, introduced by Florida Senator Rick Scott, would significantly reduce Medicaid funding. Analysts estimate the amendment could leave up to 20 million Americans without health insurance if adopted.

Defending the proposed Medicaid cuts, Senate Majority Leader John Thune downplayed concerns about immediate impact, noting the provision wouldn’t take effect until 2031.

“The thing that [Senator Rick Scott’s] bill doesn’t do is take effect tomorrow,” Thune said. “So I’m not sure how you can make the argument that it’s going to kick any people off of health insurance tomorrow.”

Democrats, who have fiercely opposed the bill especially for its projected cuts to healthcare for lower-income Americans—are expected to use all 10 of their allotted hours of debate. Republicans, by contrast, are not expected to do the same.

Republicans would meet Trump’s self-imposed deadline of Friday.

Despite mounting opposition and procedural hurdles, Trump remains optimistic.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is “confident” the legislation will pass and still expects to sign it into law by 4 July.

On Sunday, Democrats deployed a procedural tactic to delay the bill’s progress, forcing Senate clerks to read all 940 pages of the legislation aloud a process that stretched over 16 hours.

The move came after weeks of public debate and a narrow 51-49 Senate vote over the weekend to advance the bill.

Two Republicans broke ranks and sided with Democrats to oppose opening formal debate, citing the need for more revisions.

One of those dissenters, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, announced his retirement shortly after the vote. In a scathing statement, he accused fellow Republicans of abandoning their campaign promises.

“Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail,” Tillis wrote.

The White House fired back, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling Tillis “just wrong” in his assessment of the legislation.

The full Senate vote on the bill is expected early Tuesday morning, and with margins razor-thin, Republicans can afford no more than three defections.

If the bill reaches a 50-50 split, Vice President JD Vance would be called on to cast the tie-breaking vote.

Should the bill pass, it will return to the House of Representatives, where leadership has indicated a full vote on the Senate’s version could take place as early as Wednesday morning.

But resistance is mounting from the House Freedom Caucus, a group of hardline fiscal conservatives. The caucus has threatened to derail the Senate proposal, citing its cost.

In a post on social media Monday, the group slammed the bill’s projected $650 billion addition to the national deficit.

“That’s not fiscal responsibility,” the statement read. “It’s not what we agreed to.”

Democrats in both chambers have largely opposed the bill, citing deep concerns over proposed spending cuts and the extension of Trump-era tax breaks.

Republican debate has centered on how aggressively to reduce welfare programs in order to fund $3.8 trillion (£2.8tn) in extended tax breaks a signature element of the legislation.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the proposed cuts could strip health insurance coverage from nearly 12 million Americans and add an estimated $3.3 trillion (£2.4tn) to the national debt.

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