Senate To Hold Marathon Session Of Votes On Trump's Massive Tax Bill

Republicans are expected to pass the $4 trillion package that includes historic cuts to Medicaid and federal food assistance programs on Monday.

WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Senate is expected to consider amendments to President Donald Trump’s multi-trillion dollar tax and spending bill in the early hours of Monday morning, setting up a vote on final passage later in the day.

Republicans voted Saturday night to begin debate on the massive package that includes tax cuts for the mostly wealthy as well as major cuts to safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance. Several key GOP holdouts flipped their positions, allowing Trump’s sweeping legislative agenda to proceed in a 51-49 vote under a special fast-track process known as budget reconciliation.

The legislation would take away health insurance for nearly 12 million people and add at least $3.3 trillion to the national debt over a decade, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. That number would rise to nearly $4 trillion when including interest.

Senators will be able to offer an unlimited number of amendments to the bill during a marathon session of votes known as a “vote-a-rama.” Democrats are expected to propose amendments designed to divide Republicans and put pressure on vulnerable GOP senators up for reelection next year, including proposals that would raise taxes on the rich, and reverse the bill’s cuts to Medicaid and federal food assistance.

GOP leaders, meanwhile, will be under pressure to limit changes to the bill as much as possible to get it across the finish line by Trump’s July 4 deadline.