Republicans in the Senate have overwhelmingly approved US President Donald Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill, which he calls “The Big Beautiful Bill”.
The votes were split 50-50, but Vice President J.D. Vance cast another deciding vote.
With that, Republican Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Thom Tillis voted no along with the Democrats.
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have reaffirmed their intention to approve Trump’s bill before the 4th of July. In a released statement, they said they plan to “immediately consider the bill for final passage and place it on President Trump’s desk by July 4.”
Among other things, the bill, would repeal taxes on tips and overtime pay, increase military spending and provide billions of dollars for border security. But it also cuts social safety net programmes, particularly Medicaid.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the law will add about $3.8 trillion to the federal government’s debt over the next decade, the Reuters piece noted.
US President Trump has made it clear that he hopes to get the document signed before 4 July, the country’s Independence Day.