FnF News
Senate Passes Trump’s Budget in Late-Night Shock Vote as Democrats Walk Out and House Awaits Battle
By Khadija Khan | FNF News | July 3, 2025
Washington, D.C. — In a historic and contentious late-night session on Capitol Hill, the United States Senate officially passed President Donald J. Trump’s sweeping 2025 federal budget bill by a narrow 51–49 margin, igniting fury across party lines and sending the legislation into the stormy waters of the House of Representatives. The final vote—broadcast live on NBC News—marked a defining moment for Trump’s second term, consolidating his policy ambitions into what supporters called a “fiscal revolution” and critics deemed “an assault on the American social contract.”
The Vote Heard Around the Country
After weeks of hearings, amendments, and political brinkmanship, the Republican-led Senate secured just enough support to deliver the president’s most ambitious economic package yet. Despite defections from key moderates—Senators Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski—the bill crossed the finish line with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking procedural vote earlier in the day to keep debate alive.
NBC’s livestream caught the moment Senate Majority Leader Josh Hawley pumped his fist in the air as the final gavel fell. In contrast, Democratic senators silently stood and walked off the floor in protest, declining to endorse what Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries later called “a generational theft of public resources.”
What’s Inside the “Big Beautiful Bill”
The Trump administration has branded the legislation the “Big Beautiful Bill” — a nod to the former president’s campaign vernacular. But its contents are anything but cosmetic.
The budget includes:
- $350 billion in tax cuts for energy, agriculture, and logistics firms
- Massive funding increases for ICE, CBP, and the border wall expansion
- Rollbacks of environmental regulations, with oil and gas subsidies reaching record levels
- Cuts of $200 billion from Medicaid, projected to impact nearly 10 million low-income Americans
- A repeal of funding for multiple Biden-era clean energy programs
Supporters argue that the budget will “restore economic liberty” and “put American priorities first.” Detractors say it will deepen inequality, erase critical healthcare protections, and unleash unchecked environmental degradation.
A Divided Senate and a Fractured Public
Public response has been fierce. Protests erupted outside Senate offices in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia overnight, with activists accusing lawmakers of selling out their constituents to corporate lobbyists. According to a snap poll by Marist/NBC News:
- 61% of Americans oppose the Medicaid cuts
- 58% disapprove of expanded border enforcement
- Only 39% support the bill as written
Despite opposition, the Trump administration maintains that the budget “reflects the will of the American majority,” citing midterm election results and support among Republican governors.
House Braces for Procedural Warfare
With Senate passage complete, attention turns to the House Rules Committee, where Speaker Elise Stefanik and Trump-aligned lawmakers are preparing to push the bill through under a structured rule, which would limit debate and block further amendments. That maneuver could speed passage before the July 4 recess—but risks igniting a procedural rebellion from both the Democratic minority and anti-establishment Republicans.
FNF News has learned that a small coalition of House Republicans is preparing to withhold votes unless Medicaid cuts are softened or energy clauses are rewritten. As one GOP aide told FNF anonymously: “There is no unity—just urgency.”
FNF News Analysis
The Senate vote is more than a procedural win. It’s a signal that Trump’s second term is no longer about messaging—it’s about structural transformation. Whether the bill becomes law or dies in the House, it has already redefined the conversation in Washington.
The real question is not whether Trump’s budget will pass. The question is whether American democracy can survive the speed and scale of what’s being done in its name.