In a rare act of defiance, three Republican senators broke ranks with their party to vote against US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
The legislation passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday only after Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote, underscoring just how divided the chamber was over a package that includes tax breaks on tipped wages, deep cuts to Medicaid, and expanded deportation efforts.
While the bill enjoys Trump’s strong backing and passed the House in May, concerns over its impact on federal healthcare spending and the national debt caused unease among some in the GOP.
A Congressional Budget Office report estimated the measure would add more than $3.9 trillion to the deficit—despite White House claims it would curb spending. Still, Trump set a hard deadline of July 4 for its passage and warned of political consequences for dissenters.
Thom Tillis: '663,000 North Carolinians will lose coverage'
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was among the most vocal critics, delivering an impassioned floor speech and issuing multiple public statements ahead of the vote. “I will always do what is in the best interest of North Carolina, even when that puts me at odds with my own party,” he said Monday. “I cannot support this bill in its current form. It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities.”
Tillis underscored the stakes in personal terms: “What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore, guys?”
Though he acknowledged positive provisions in the bill—such as increased border security funding—Tillis made it clear they weren’t enough to justify the risks. His stance drew sharp backlash from Trump, who threatened to support a primary challenger and blasted Tillis on Truth Social as “worse than Rand ‘Fauci’ Paul!” The same day, Tillis announced he would not seek reelection, saying Washington had become inhospitable to “independent thinking.”
Susan Collins: Rural healthcare at risk
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also cited the bill’s Medicaid cuts in her dissent. According to her office, some 400,000 Mainers rely on the program. “My vote against this bill stems primarily from the harmful impact it will have on Medicaid, affecting low-income families and rural health care providers like our hospitals and nursing homes,” she said in a Tuesday statement. “I strongly support extending the tax relief for families and small businesses.”
While Collins successfully advocated for a “special fund” to support rural hospitals, she said it was not enough to offset the broader damage the bill could cause to vulnerable populations. Known for her moderate stance and record of bipartisanship, Collins has often found herself at the center of high-stakes legislation—this time casting a decisive vote on healthcare.
A fifth-term senator, Collins holds the distinction of casting more than 9,000 consecutive votes without absence. Her decision to oppose the bill reinforced her longstanding focus on healthcare access, especially in remote and underserved areas.
Rand Paul: 'I offered my vote for fiscal sanity'
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, long a critic of unchecked federal spending, voted against the legislation on fiscal grounds. “I offered my vote for fiscal sanity. Congress chose to sell out taxpayers instead,” Paul wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the vote. He told reporters that he had asked Vice President Vance to include a “90% reduction in the debt ceiling” in exchange for his support.
Paul’s objections centered on the projected $3.9 trillion deficit increase. A staunch libertarian and advocate for small government, Paul has consistently opposed bloated spending bills and is known for his deep dives into government waste.
Before entering politics, Paul was a practicing ophthalmologist and founded a nonprofit clinic to serve low-income patients in Kentucky. He continues to perform pro-bono surgeries and has led medical missions abroad. As a senator, he chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, from where he continues to scrutinize federal overreach and promote fiscal restraint.
Together, the decisions by Tillis, Collins, and Paul signal not just intra-party disagreement but deeper ideological divides over what conservatism should look like in the Trump era. With the bill now headed back to the House, all eyes will be on how these defections influence the broader legislative fight.
The legislation passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday only after Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote, underscoring just how divided the chamber was over a package that includes tax breaks on tipped wages, deep cuts to Medicaid, and expanded deportation efforts.
While the bill enjoys Trump’s strong backing and passed the House in May, concerns over its impact on federal healthcare spending and the national debt caused unease among some in the GOP.
A Congressional Budget Office report estimated the measure would add more than $3.9 trillion to the deficit—despite White House claims it would curb spending. Still, Trump set a hard deadline of July 4 for its passage and warned of political consequences for dissenters.
Thom Tillis: '663,000 North Carolinians will lose coverage'
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was among the most vocal critics, delivering an impassioned floor speech and issuing multiple public statements ahead of the vote. “I will always do what is in the best interest of North Carolina, even when that puts me at odds with my own party,” he said Monday. “I cannot support this bill in its current form. It would result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities.”
Tillis underscored the stakes in personal terms: “What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore, guys?”
Though he acknowledged positive provisions in the bill—such as increased border security funding—Tillis made it clear they weren’t enough to justify the risks. His stance drew sharp backlash from Trump, who threatened to support a primary challenger and blasted Tillis on Truth Social as “worse than Rand ‘Fauci’ Paul!” The same day, Tillis announced he would not seek reelection, saying Washington had become inhospitable to “independent thinking.”
Susan Collins: Rural healthcare at risk
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also cited the bill’s Medicaid cuts in her dissent. According to her office, some 400,000 Mainers rely on the program. “My vote against this bill stems primarily from the harmful impact it will have on Medicaid, affecting low-income families and rural health care providers like our hospitals and nursing homes,” she said in a Tuesday statement. “I strongly support extending the tax relief for families and small businesses.”
While Collins successfully advocated for a “special fund” to support rural hospitals, she said it was not enough to offset the broader damage the bill could cause to vulnerable populations. Known for her moderate stance and record of bipartisanship, Collins has often found herself at the center of high-stakes legislation—this time casting a decisive vote on healthcare.
A fifth-term senator, Collins holds the distinction of casting more than 9,000 consecutive votes without absence. Her decision to oppose the bill reinforced her longstanding focus on healthcare access, especially in remote and underserved areas.
Rand Paul: 'I offered my vote for fiscal sanity'
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, long a critic of unchecked federal spending, voted against the legislation on fiscal grounds. “I offered my vote for fiscal sanity. Congress chose to sell out taxpayers instead,” Paul wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the vote. He told reporters that he had asked Vice President Vance to include a “90% reduction in the debt ceiling” in exchange for his support.
Paul’s objections centered on the projected $3.9 trillion deficit increase. A staunch libertarian and advocate for small government, Paul has consistently opposed bloated spending bills and is known for his deep dives into government waste.
Before entering politics, Paul was a practicing ophthalmologist and founded a nonprofit clinic to serve low-income patients in Kentucky. He continues to perform pro-bono surgeries and has led medical missions abroad. As a senator, he chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, from where he continues to scrutinize federal overreach and promote fiscal restraint.
Together, the decisions by Tillis, Collins, and Paul signal not just intra-party disagreement but deeper ideological divides over what conservatism should look like in the Trump era. With the bill now headed back to the House, all eyes will be on how these defections influence the broader legislative fight.
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