US Senate Holds Procedural Vote on Trump One Big

On Saturday night, the U.S. Senate took a preliminary but important step in the direction of passing President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), by holding a procedural vote to enable debate on it. It handed by a 51-49 tally.

Agreed to, 51-49: Motion to proceed to Cal. #107, H.R.1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

— Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) June 29, 2025

It wasn’t a sure factor from the vantage level of Friday evening, when Senate Majority Leader referred to as the vote occurring on Saturday “aspirational,” even suggesting that the Republicans’ self-imposed deadline of July 4 may very well be squishy.

Voting started just minutes before 8 p.m. Eastern time, with little wiggle room for nay votes contemplating three Republicans in the higher chamber had already stated they had been nos:

GOP Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin have voted against continuing with debate. Republican leaders can bear no more than three defections while letting Vance break a 50-50 tie.

Earlier on Saturday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R_MO) stated he would vote yes, but “he’ll still try to change Medicaid language” in the vote-a-rama:

Hawley clarifies he isn’t going to offer an modification but thinks the language wants to be modified / will work to make sure cuts dont go into impact

— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) June 28, 2025

Also forward of the vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed to pressure Republicans to have Senate clerks learn the total, almost 1,000-page doc on the Senate ground: [emphasis added]

“I will object to Republicans moving forward on their Big, Ugly Bill without reading it on the Senate floor,” Schumer stated on X. “Republicans won’t tell America what’s in the bill

“So Democrats are forcing it to be learn begin to end on the ground,” he said. “We shall be right here all evening if that’s what it takes to learn it.”

Schumer’s move is expected to take up to 15 hours and is designed to allow Senate Democrats more time to parse through the myriad provisions within the massive legislative text. Ultimately, it will prove a smokescreen as Senate Republicans will continue to march toward a final vote.

Here’s how my colleague Bob Hoge framed it, with his usual flair for humor:

READ MORE: Schoolyard Games: Chuck Schumer Uses Juvenile Tactics to Delay Vote on Big, Beautiful Bill

Anyway, however long the Schumer charade takes, the famous/infamous debate and vote-a-thon would follow. 

Just in case there was a need for a tie-breaker, Vice President JD Vance was on hand.

Vance is right here pic.twitter.com/wtI1L9ANi2

— Jordain Carney (@jordainc) June 29, 2025

Punchbowl News’  Laura Weiss shared on her X account that at 8:48 p.m., Sen. Lisa Murkowski “still [hadn’t] voted,” and was in the process of “a long collection of convos w/ GOP leaders on the ground.”

She added that the Alaska Republican “bee-lined to Finance Chair Crapo when she acquired to the ground, then talked w/ VP Vance & long convos w Crapo, Thune, Graham, Barrasso & large huddle of senators & some aides.” Then just about 9 p.m., the senator and “Curtis talked on the ground and just went in the cloakroom where Senate GOP leaders had been huddling.”

Then, at just about 9:30 p.m., Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) agreed to take away a sticky half of the invoice – on the sale of federal lands:

Mike Lee is taking out the federal land gross sales provision from the invoice. This had drawn sturdy opposition from Idaho and Montana senators https://t.co/GdFQjLlURu

— Max Cohen (@maxpcohen) June 29, 2025

Back to VP Vance. Max Cohen of Punchbowl stated on X that around 9:20 p.m., Sen. Thune “head[ed]back into his office, flanked by Crapo, Barrasso and Lummis.” When Cohen requested him, “What’s the deal with Rick Scott and Mike Lee?” the senator reportedly answered, “It’s a long vote.”

Weiss wrote that “Sen. Ron Johnson – who has already voted no on the motion to proceed – walks into Thune’s office where conservatives are meeting w/ leadership…Vote still open.” When Johnson was requested if he would possibly change to aye, he answered, “Anything’s possible.”

Punchbowl co-founder John Bresnahan added in an X post that Vance had entered the workplace. Sen. Schmitt (MO) also was there, he reported.

Just before 10 p.m., according to the Hill: 

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) voted “aye” on Saturday evening to advance the GOP megabill to advance President Trump’s agenda after voicing severe misgivings in latest weeks about deep cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the laws.

The vote was held open at just after 10 p.m. for more talks.

National Journal journalist Nancy Vu wrote about the delay in the vote, now clocking in at around 200 minutes:: 

The holdouts will not be saying a lot as they stroll back and forth from Thune’s workplace

“We’re working hard in good faith,” Johnson stated.

— Nancy Vu (@Vu_Reports) June 29, 2025

At just after 11 p.m., Vu wrote: “Johnson, Lummis, and Lee all voted for the MTP.”

Paul and Tillis had been the Republicans who voted no.

After the vote, Thune was requested to remark on concessions, if any, the GOP management made to the straglers. He declined, but advised Politico, “We’ve landed in a good spot.” When requested if  “this mean[s] you have the votes to pass the bill… Thune said, “I never take something for granted around right here.”

This also happened:

Trump Comes Out Swinging Against BBB Opponent Thom Tillis, Meanwhile Murkowski Votes to Advance

Next Steps

Where do things go from here? Of course, the Senate will have to finish its work — the reading of the text, then an (expected) votearama on Sunday, with a floor vote to follow, before sending it back to the House.

In a convention call Saturday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reportedly reassured members that he has been serving to Senate Republicans shepherd the invoice to make it more carefully match the invoice the House had handed. There shall be some bumps in the highway, of course. 

He also had a warning for them, also with “a promise”:

Johnson also [sic] members to convey any remaining considerations instantly to their GOP senators and to the White House — and to not air those grievances in public. House GOP management stated they might stick with a promise to give members 48 hours discover of a vote so that lawmakers have satisfactory time to return to Washington.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise also gave a potential timeline of “votes Tuesday evening or Wednesday on the sweeping Republican megabill, according to three people who were on the call and were granted anonymity to describe it.”

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