Senate Republicans are wrestling President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts over mounting Democratic opposition — and even some brake-pumping over the budget slashing by the president himself. The outcome from the weekend of Senate work remains uncertain and highly volatile.
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The Capitol is seen is seen as Senate Republicans work to pass President Donald Trump's bill of tax breaks and spending cuts by his July Fourth deadline, in Washington, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) |
Senate Republicans in sprint on Trump's big bill |
An all-night session to consider an endless stream of proposed amendments to the package, in what's called a vote-a-rama, was abruptly postponed, and it's now scheduled to launch as soon as the Senate gavels open. With Democrats united against the Republican president's legislation and eagerly lined up to challenge it, the voting could take all day.
The hours ahead will be pivotal for the Republicans, who have control of the Congress and are racing against Trump's Fourth of July deadline to wrap up work. The 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it is now formally titled, has consumed the Congress as its shared priority with the president, with no room politically to fail, even as not all Republicans are on board.
All told, the Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump's 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act. It also adds the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. The Senate package would also impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements and making sign-up eligibility more stringent. Read more.
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If the Senate can push through the vote-a-rama and pass the bill, it would need to return to the House. Speaker Mike Johnson has told lawmakers to be on call for a return to Washington this week. |
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US not attending United Nations meeting to tackle poverty |
Many of the world’s nations are gathering starting Monday in Spain for a high-level conference to tackle the growing gap between rich and poor nations and try to drum up trillions of dollars needed to close it. The United States, previously a major contributor, pulled its participation, so finding funding will be tough. High-level delegations, including more than 70 world leaders, are expected in Seville, along with several thousand others from international financial institutions, development banks, philanthropic organizations, the private sector and civil society. At its last preparatory meeting on June 17, the United States rejected the 38-page outcome document that had been negotiated for months by the U.N.’s 193 member nations and announced its withdrawal from the process and from the Seville conference. Read more.
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Among the proposals and actions, it calls for minimum tax revenue of 15% of a country's gross domestic product to increase government resources, a tripling of lending by multilateral development banks, and scaling up private financing by providing incentives for investing in critical areas like infrastructure. It also calls for a number of reforms to help countries deal with rising debt. |
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What we still don't know a week into the Israel-Iran peace deal |
It's been a week since the United States pressed Israel and Iran into a truce, ending a bloody, 12-day conflict that had set the Middle East and globe on edge. Brokered by the U.S. the day after it dropped 30,000-pound “bunker-busting” bombs on three of Iran’s key nuclear sites, the fragile peace is holding – but much remains unsettled. We still don’t know how far Iran’s nuclear program has been set back. Trump says the three targets hit by American strikes were “obliterated,” but a preliminary U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report said Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan were significantly damaged – but not totally destroyed.
We don’t know how Iran might strike back. Iran's retaliatory missile attacks on a U.S. base in Qatar were sloughed off by the White House as a half-hearted, face-saving measure. Yet Iran remains a persistent threat, particularly via cyberwarfare. Hackers backing Tehran have already targeted U.S. banks, defense contractors and oil industry companies— but so far have not caused widespread disruptions to critical infrastructure or the economy.
We don’t know what U.S.-Iran relations might look like. After the ceasefire deal came together, Trump spoke of potentially easing decades of biting sanctions on Tehran. But Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claimed Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face." Trump responded by suggesting the supreme leader own up to the fact Iran “got beat to hell. The president also said he was backing off reviewing any immediate sanction relief, because of Khamenei's heated comments. Read more.
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And we also don’t know whether the Israel-Iran ceasefire will hold. Immediately following the U.S. strikes, Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to expect further U.S. offensive military action, according to a senior White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly about the sensitive diplomatic talks. But even as he agreed to deal, Netanyahu made clear that Israel will strike again “if anyone in Iran tries to revive this project.” |
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President Donald Trump departs Trump National Golf Club, Saturday, June 28, 2025, in Sterling, Va. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) |
- Trump signs executive orders on Monday in the Oval Office. On Thursday, he gives remarks at the Salute to America Celebration at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.
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