Senate Republicans vote to advance Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
The Republican-controlled Senate of the United States has voted to take President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” into the next phase of discussion, making it more likely to pass in the coming days.
The measure, which is Trump’s top legislative goal, passed its first procedural hurdle in a 51 to 49 vote on Saturday, with two Republican senators joining all Democrats in voting against it.
The result came after several hours of negotiation as Republican leaders and Vice President JD Vance sought to persuade last-minute holdouts in a series of closed-door negotiations.
Trump has pushed his party to get the bill passed and on his desk for him to sign into law by July 4, the US’s Independence Day.
He was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, according to a senior White House official.
One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said the 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was released shortly before midnight on Friday, and senators are still attempting to understand exactly what it means.
“One of the clear things in the bill is that it provides a $150bn boost to military spending. It also adds funding for mass deportations and building that border wall. Now, in order to get this money, what has happened is that there are cuts to Medicare, as well as to the Clean Energy funding programme,” he said.
“The other issue is that there are 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats in the Senate. Now all the Democrats are opposed to the bill. That means every single Republican vote will count,” Hanna added.
The procedural vote on Saturday, which would start a debate on the megabill, began after hours of delay.
It then remained open for more than three hours of standstill as three Republican senators – Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Rand Paul – joined Democrats to oppose the legislation.
Three others – Senators Rick Scott, Mike Lee and Cynthia Lummis – negotiated with Republican leaders into the night in hopes of securing bigger spending cuts.
In the end, Wisconsin Senator Johnson flipped his no vote to yes, leaving only Paul and Tillis opposed among Republicans.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans unveiled the bill “in the dead of night” and are rushing to finish the bill before the public fully knows what is in it.
He immediately forced a full reading of the text in the Senate, which would take an estimated 15 hours.
“Future generations will be saddled with trillions in debt. Debt is abstract, but what does it mean for the average American? Raising your costs, raising your costs to buy a home, raising your costs to buy a car, raising your costs on credit card bills. And why are they doing all this?” he asked.
“Why are they doing the biggest Medicaid cuts in history? Now it’s getting close to a trillion dollars, just in Medicaid alone, all to cut taxes for the ultra-rich and special interests.”
Elon Musk renews criticism
If passed in the Senate, the bill would go back to the House of Representatives for approval, where Republicans can only afford to lose a handful of votes – and are facing stiff opposition from within their own ranks.
Republicans are split on the Medicaid cuts, which will threaten scores of rural hospitals and lead to an estimated 8.6 million Americans being deprived of healthcare.
The spending plan would also roll back many of the tax incentives for renewable energy that were put in place under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.
Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of Trump’s tax cut and spending bill would add trillions to the $36.2 trillion US government debt. They also say that the bill would pave the way for a historic redistribution of wealth from the poorest 10 percent of Americans to the richest.
The bill is unpopular across multiple demographic, age and income groups, according to extensive recent polling.
On Saturday, billionaire Elon Musk, with whom Trump had a public falling out this month over his criticism of the bill, again doubled down on his criticism of the draft legislation.
The Tesla and Space X CEO called the package “utterly insane and destructive”.
“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country,” he wrote on X. “It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.”
He later posted that the bill would be “political suicide for the Republican Party.”
Source: Al Jazeera
Cristiano Ronaldo prefers rest over FIFA Club World Cup
Cristiano Ronaldo says he preferred to take a rest rather than play in the revamped FIFA Club World Cup as he aims to prolong his playing career for club and country.
The Portuguese international, who recently led his country to the UEFA Nations League title, made the comments on Saturday, two days after extending his stay at Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
Al Nassr announced on Thursday that Ronaldo had signed a two-year contract which would keep him at the club past his 42nd birthday and possibly his last appearance in the FIFA World Cup at its next iteration in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
Speculation over the 40-year-old’s plans intensified last month when FIFA President Gianni Infantino said discussions were under way about Ronaldo playing in the Club World Cup, despite Al Nassr failing to qualify, but the star forward swiftly brushed them aside.
“I had some offers to play in the [Club] World Cup but I think it didn’t make sense because I prefer to have a good rest, a good preparation, because this season will be very long as it is the World Cup season at the end of the year,” Ronaldo said in a video posted by Al Nassr on X.
“I want to be ready not only for Al Nassr but also for the national team. So, this is why I decided to play the last game for the Nations League and not listen to anything,” he added.
“And of course, to be in this club, which I love”.
Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027 💛🤩 pic.twitter.com/uVOzvZW4u7
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) June 26, 2025
Ronaldo scored for Portugal in the Nations League final against Spain earlier this month, which ended 2-2 before his side went on to beat the European champions on penalties.
The Portugal captain said his aim in staying at Al Nassr was to win a major trophy with the Riyadh-based side.
“My goal, it’s always to win something important for Al-Nassr. And of course I still believe in that,” Ronaldo added. “This is why I renewed the two years more because I believe that I will be a champion in Saudi Arabia.”
Ronaldo, who joined Al Nassr in 2022 after leaving Manchester United as a free agent, has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances for them in all competitions.
Ronaldo is also eyeing the 1,000-goal milestone in his career. He has scored 794 goals in club football and 138 for Portugal, taking his tally to 932.
Source: Al Jazeera