The Senate’s marathon vote on President Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ concluded with a mix of rejections and a single successful amendment, underscoring the deepening partisan divide over the legislation. Several high-profile amendments, including those by Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, were defeated, while a controversial AI regulation measure passed with overwhelming support.
Collins’ proposed amendment would have boosted rural hospital funding from $25 billion to $50 billion over ten years, aiming to alleviate financial strain on rural healthcare providers. She framed the measure as an olive branch to Democrats who criticized the bill’s Medicaid cuts and tax breaks for the wealthy. However, critics like Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., dismissed the amendment as a superficial fix to a larger problem.
Cornyn, along with Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., sought additional Medicaid cuts of $313 billion, arguing it was necessary to control the program’s growth. However, many senators resisted further reductions, with Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., stating that the cuts had already stretched the program beyond his comfort level.
Other amendments, such as those supporting teacher deductions and expanding the child tax credit, also failed to gain traction. The only successful amendment killed a provision allowing a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations, with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Ma., co-sponsoring the measure. The Senate passed it 99-1, with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., opposing it.
The outcome of the vote has left the future of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ in limbo, with its final approval now uncertain as the Senate grapples with conflicting priorities. Collins’ amendment, which aimed to address rural healthcare crises, highlights the growing scrutiny over the bill’s fiscal impact, particularly its effects on Medicaid and state budgets. The failure of the proposed Medicaid cuts and teacher deductions also underscore the political challenges in balancing fiscal responsibility with social welfare obligations.
Meanwhile, the successful amendment on AI regulations signals a rare moment of bipartisan agreement in a chamber often divided by ideological lines. Cantwell’s remarks emphasized the importance of protecting state-level consumer protections while still fostering national cooperation on emerging technologies. However, the absence of a clear consensus on the bill’s broader provisions suggests that its fate remains uncertain, with further negotiations and votes likely in the coming days.