Senate Advances Trump $3.8T Tax, Defense, Border Bill 51-49

The Senate has advanced President Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" to full debate despite two Republican defections and opposition from all Democrats. The bill includes making the Trump tax cuts permanent, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, enhancing border security with funding for deportations and the border wall, and cutting funding for Joe Biden's green energy initiatives. Additional provisions allocate billions for Pentagon shipbuilding and missile defense, impose a new excise tax on university endowments, and bar funding to Planned Parenthood. The legislation also expands the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and includes a pandemic response accountability fund. Senate Republicans worked through the weekend to pass the bill, aiming to have it signed into law by July 4. Despite some delays and negotiations, key Republican senators, including Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, ultimately supported the measure to move the process forward.