Brandon Drenon
BBC News
Reporting fromCapitol Hill
Watch: Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” triggers Senate face-off
The US Senate has held a marathon voting session through the night on a sprawling budget bill that is critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act – running to nearly 1,000-pages – includes increased spending for border security, defence and energy production – offset to a degree by cuts to healthcare and food-support programmes.
Its fate hangs in the balance as Trump’s Republicans – who control both chambers of Congress – remain split over how much to cut welfare programmes by as they seek to extend tax breaks.
If approved in the Senate, the bill will return to the lower House of Representatives for a final vote before being sent to Trump to be signed into law.
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Overnight from Monday into Tuesday, senators argued for or against amendments – each voted on separately in a process called “vote-a-rama”. The process has lasted more than 22 hours so far.
Just after 06: 00 EST (11: 00 GMT) Vice-President JD Vance arrived on Capitol Hill, indicating Senate Republicans may need him to cast a tie-breaking vote to push the legislation through.
Republicans in the Senate can only afford three defections in order for the bill to pass. If they lose three votes, Vance will have to cast a tie-breaking vote.
The bill’s critics include Elon Musk – who has stepped up his criticism of Republicans who “campaigned on reducing government spending” and then “immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history”.
The tech billionaire was in charge of Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been tasked to find ways of cutting go
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