The Big Beautiful Bill was dragged over the Senate finish line with the support of just half the chamber, plus one tiebreaking vote from Vice President J.D. Vance. It still requires House approval before it is sent to the president’s desk for a signature. The tax and spend plan contains nuggets of President Donald Trump’s agenda, including his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), a sunsetting tax cut many Americans have become accustomed to.
Without the passage of the BBB, TCJA will expire Dec. 31, certain tax rules will revert to pre-TCJA levels, and then taxpayers will feel the burn Democrats voted for.
“Failure to pass this legislation would result in a $4 trillion tax hike,” according to the White House. But a huge tax hit to the American people is not enough to move half the Senate to support the BBB.
Tuesday’s vote was passed with 50 Republican senators in favor. All 45 Democrats voted no. They were joined by three Republicans, Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Also, two independents voted no, Sen. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
At least we know Republicans are willing to break from the pack and think on their own. But we won’t forget those Republicans who voted with Democrats to increase taxes. Because of them, this vote was way too close.
No one is surprised that Democrats voted in unison. Democrats are forever working against Trump instead of for voters. They would rather win a political battle than let regular Americans keep the TCJA standard deduction, which more than double what it used to be.
Maybe senators opposed to tax savings for constituents don’t understand how tax breaks can affect someone earning the average U.S. income of $62,000. After all, that is much lower than a senator’s tax bracket.
For example, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has a net worth of something like $251 million. Warner railed against the BBB, making all kinds of dramatic social media posts before the vote. He tried to connect with regular people in one post by waving an Egg McMuffin in one hand and a McDonalds hashbrown in the other. “Trying to keep the fuel. Pretty damn tired,” he explained, his hair still perfect after allegedly working 24 hours straight. I’d wager $4 trillion the breakfast was just for show and he never took a bite.
Hellbound and Down 