Two GOP Senators Vote ‘No’ As Trump’s Megabill Clears Critical Hurdle

The “big and beautiful” bill of President Donald Trump erased a critical obstacle on Saturday evening after the Senate voted largely along the party party to start the debate on the tax and immigration package.

The senators voted 51 to 49 to advance the bill following the Republican senses. Ron Johnson de Wisconsin, Rick Scott from Florida, Mike Lee from Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming throwing their support for the opening of the measurement debate. Each Senate Democrat voted “no”, delivering to the commitment of the leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, that all his Caucus would oppose the bill on the president’s domestic policy. (“Ultimate Trahip”: the White House issues a striking warning for GOP Holves on Trump Bill)

The Republican Senses Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voted against the procedural motion, citing profound substantial concerns with regard to the bill. The head of the majority of the Senate, John Thune, held the vote opened for more than three hours while the management of the GOP Senate and the vice-president JD Vance put pressure on the selected of the GOP to support the measure.

Johnson initially voted against the request in procedure, arguing that the bill necessary to integrate a more deficit reduction and that the rapid vote did not allow a sufficient debate on the budget impacts of the budget package. The leadership of the Senate GOP unveiled the revised text shortly before midnight on Friday.

The successful vote unlocks up to 8 pm of debate on the Senate’s proposal before the Upper Chamber begins a marathon voting session known as the “vote-a-rama”. Schumer also obliges the Senate clerks to read the entire bill of 940 pages before struggling on the bill, which could delay the procedure of more than half a day.

Senators should vote on a long list of amendments by Republicans and Democrats looking for a variety of fundamental changes in the bill during the “voting-a-rama” before voting on the final adoption of the budget package.

Utah republican senator, Mike Lee, one of the GOP Holves who finally voted “yes”, withdrew his controversial proposal for the sale of public land after his colleague, the Republican senator from Montana, Tim Sheehy, threatened to file an amendment to withdraw the provision of the bill. Sheehy and his compatriot Montanan, the republican senator Steve Daines, vigorously opposed the sale of federal land despite the proposal exempting from Montana.

Lee said he would work with the president to make certain federal land eligible for housing instead.

Congress Republicans use the so-called budgetary reconciliation process to obtain the opposition of the Democrat by adopting the president’s historic bill by a simple majority vote. The scanning bill incorporates a permanent extension of the expired provisions of Trump 2017 tax reductions, protects certain Americans from temporary wages on wages and overtime, devotes hundreds of billions of new funding for the application of immigration and defense priorities and reduces public spending by at least $ 150 billion.

The campaign arm of the Republicans of the Senate, the National Committee of the Republican Congress, distinguished the Democratic Senator of Georgia, Jon Ossoff, for having voted against the advancement of the bill of the president. Ossoff is widely considered the most vulnerable democratic race for re -election. The tax component of legislation diverts in particular an increase in tax of 2.6 billions of dollars on households earning less than $ 400,000 per year, according to the Republicans of the Senate finance committee.

“Jon Ossoff’s hatred for Donald Trump shows that he cares more about the radical leftists whom he courts to be re -elected than to deliver the workers and the families of Georgia,” said regional press secretary of the NRSC, Nick Puglia, in a statement. “In 2026, voters will hold Ossoff responsible for his extreme policies and his unwavering opposition to President Trump.”

Washington, DC – June 27: The head of the majority of the American Senate John Thune (R -SD) is expressed with journalists following a republican lunch of the Senate, in the American Capitol on June 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago / Getty Images)

“Fifty-three members will never agree on all the details of the legislation, let’s face it,” said Thune on the Senate soil before the vote.

Although each Senator of the GOP greatly supported the large -scale elements of the bill, several bonding points prevented several from voting to advance the legislation.

Tillis, who is one of the most vulnerable Republicans to be re -elected in 2026, told journalists earlier that he would vote “no” on the procedural motion and the vote on final adoption, citing the aggressive reforms of the bill in Medicaid.

The Northern Carolina Republican previously warned that the Senate’s proposal to reduce the taxes of Medicaid suppliers for states that have widened the coverage under the affordable care law would endanger access from North Carolina to dozens of billions of federal Medicaid funds. Tillis maintains that this would lead to hundreds of thousands of its voters who potentially lose coverage. He told journalists on Saturday that he hoped to continue negotiating with the management of the Congress and the White House to modify the text.

“This would force the State to make painful decisions such as the elimination of the coverage of Medicaid for hundreds of thousands in the expansion population, and even reducing critical services in the traditional Medicaid population,” Tillis said in a statement before the vote.

Thune, however, pleaded for the need to suppress taxes on providers, a financing mechanism which allows states to receive federal funding from additional medication.

Paul voted against the request in procedure, citing the inclusion of an increase of 5 billions of dollars in the debt ceiling within the Senate proposal. The Kentucky Republican has long argued that he would vote against any legislation that will allow the federal government to continue to borrow billions of dollars.

The Missouri republican senator, Josh Hawley, who was considered a potential Holdout of the GOP, announced on Saturday that he would vote “yes” during the procedural vote and during the final adoption of the bill. He quoted the delayed implementation of the repression of tax on the Medicaid supplier and a new rural hospital fund seeking to consolidate hospitals which would potentially lose Medicaid funds as reasons to support legislation.

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