Trump’s $4 trillion bill reaches the Senate amid fierce GOP rifts and Democratic backlash over social service cuts and rushed timing.

Midnight Vote Sparks Senate Showdown

President Donald Trump’s $4 trillion “big, beautiful bill” has arrived in the Senate, triggering sharp division as Republicans seek to finalize sweeping legislative reforms while Democrats issue dire warnings about the proposal’s potential harm to working Americans.

The legislation passed the House early Thursday morning by a single vote, 215–214, after a marathon week of overnight sessions and eleventh-hour negotiations. House Republicans framed the bill as a transformative package to streamline taxes, expand defense, curb federal spending, and overhaul entitlement programs. Democrats called it a “bureaucratic water torture.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., lambasted the pre-dawn passage as a covert move. “This day may very well turn out to be the day that House Republicans lost control of the United States House of Representatives,” he warned. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., countered that the vote followed due process and hard-won compromise.

Senate Republicans Split Over Size and Speed

As the bill moves to the upper chamber, internal GOP tensions are mounting. Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., dismissed the House version as “completely unacceptable,” opposing its $5 trillion debt ceiling increase. Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., echoed the concern, warning, “That’s not fiscally responsible and that’s not conservative.”

Other Republicans urged caution. “We don’t want to get in a hurry just to meet a deadline,” said Senator Jim Justice, R-W.Va., while Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called Trump’s July 4 deadline “optimistic.” Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., insisted the Senate would craft its own version: “We’ll write our own bill.”

Despite the fractures, Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, signaled hope to preserve the bill’s core structure while adjusting controversial provisions to maintain GOP unity.

Democrats Condemn Cuts to Social Programs

Democrats are unified in opposition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., denounced the bill as “rotten to the core,” arguing Republicans sought to dismantle essential social services under cover of darkness. Senator Richard Durbin, D-Ill., declared it a “chainsaw to critical services,” slamming the bill’s tax cuts for the wealthy.

Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., warned of “untold suffering,” citing projected losses in health care, food assistance, and disability services. “This bill means kids will go hungry, and seniors will face greater abuse in nursing homes,” he said. Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and others vowed to block the legislation entirely.

Maryland Democrat Angela Alsobrooks criticized the bill’s historic food stamp cuts, asking, “Beautiful for whom?” She accused Republicans of pushing policies that “make the poor poorer and the rich richer.” Vermont Senator Peter Welch called the measure “terrible,” while Bernie Sanders said it favors billionaires over families struggling to survive.

Nevertheless, Republicans remain focused. “We’re glad to have the ball in our court,” Thune said, emphasizing the need for affordable housing, food, and fuel. With deep partisan divides, the Senate’s version of the bill remains uncertain, but the goal is clear: deliver a final product to President Trump by Independence Day.