Senate kicks off vote-a-rama on ‘big, beautiful bill’ as GOP scrambles to meet 4 July deadline
The Senate resumed its final debate on the “big, beautiful bill” this morning after a marathon weekend of adjusting legislation to fit parliamentarian rulings and appease particular senators.
During the lengthy vote-a-rama, senators will be able to offer an unlimited number of amendments related to the enormous proposed legislation. Democrats will be at the heart of this, seeking to amend the huge bill that will enact Trump’s domestic agenda.
I’ll bring you any key developments here.
Key events
Iranian-affiliated hackers may target US companies and critical infrastructure operators, particularly defense organizations with holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, according to an advisory from US government officials on Monday.
The FBI, National Security Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and the Department of Homeland Security’s civilian cybersecurity defense wing said in a statement issued alongside the advisory, seen by Reuters, that while there are no indications of a coordinated Iranian-linked malicious cyber campaign so far, organizations should ensure their defenses are up to date.
“Despite a declared ceasefire and ongoing negotiations towards a permanent solution, Iranian-affiliated cyber actors and hacktivist groups may still conduct malicious cyber activity,” the agencies said in the advisory.
Cybersecurity researchers and defenders in Israel and the US have so far seen little Iranian-linked cyber activity of consequence in the wake of the war launched by Israel on 13 June, followed by US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on 22 June.
Iranian state-sponsored hackers are known to exploit existing vulnerabilities in unpatched or outdated software and compromise internet-connected accounts and devices that use default or weak passwords, as well as work with ransomware operators to encrypt, steal and leak sensitive information, the agencies said on Monday.
In November 2023, hackers said by the US government to be affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards hacked equipment located in water and wastewater treatment systems in multiple states. The attacks targeted an Israeli-made device and came shortly after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Trump to visit controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ migrant detention facility in Florida, says DeSantis
Trump is planning to visit the new immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades, according to governor Ron DeSantis.
“When the president comes tomorrow, he’s going to be able to see,” DeSantis told reporters. He added that “I think by tomorrow, it’ll be ready for business.”
The Florida governor said he spoke with Trump over the weekend. He also said the site obtained approval from the Department of Homeland Security.
The facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” has drawn protests over its potential impact on the local ecosystem and criticism that Trump is trying to send a cruel message to migrants. Some Native American leaders have also opposed construction, saying the land is sacred.
The detention facility is being built on an isolated airstrip about 50 miles west of Miami, and it could house 5,000 detainees. The surrounding swampland is filled with mosquitos, pythons and alligators.
Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is calling for Americans to speak up about Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
He wrote on X: “If there was ever a time to call your Senator, this is it.
“Voting has begun on the GOP plan to cut off health care for working-class Americans and slash taxes for the wealthiest. This bill would kick millions off their health insurance, and thousands will even lose their lives – unless we stop it in its tracks.
“Some Republicans are breaking ranks, showing it’s not too late. Time to speak up!”
Today’s Senate session opened with Idaho’s Republican senators addressing a shooting in the state that left two firefighters dead yesterday.
Democratic senators from the neighboring state of Washington stood up in support of their colleagues.
“I too just want to stand and join in our colleagues from Idaho with our deep sorrow for everyone in those impacted communities,” said Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington.
Two firefighters were killed and another was badly injured after they were ambushed and shot while responding to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The gunman was found dead after Sunday’s attack with a weapon nearby. Investigators say the gunman acted alone.
The US Senate’s proposed cuts to clean energy subsidies in its version of Trump’s tax and spending bill have drawn criticism from business and labor groups since they were unveiled over the weekend, with some arguing the moves will raise power prices and kill jobs.
The pushback, which includes backlash from Trump ally and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, comes as senators started voting on a potentially long list of amendments to the bill, giving renewable energy advocates on both sides of the political spectrum a last window to push for changes.
“Taxing energy production is never good policy, whether oil & gas or, in this case, renewables,” said Neil Bradley, policy director of the US Chamber of Commerce, in a post on X over the weekend. “Electricity demand is set to see enormous growth & this tax will increase prices. It should be removed.”
“This would be incredibly destructive to America!” Musk posted on X, saying the cuts could endanger the development of energy-hungry artificial intelligence technology, among other things.
Trump has said he intends to maximize US energy production, with a focus on fossil fuels, in part to ensure the power industry can supply the AI industry’s growth. But he has also promised to wipe out subsidies for renewables.
The Senate bill would roll back incentives for wind, solar, batteries and other clean energy technologies created by President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, and add a new tax on these projects if they cannot prove their products are made without Chinese parts.
In fact, NPR reported that Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said late last night that trade talks with the US had resumed after Canada rescinded its plan to tax US technology firms.
Carney and Donald Trump spoke on the phone on Sunday, and Carney’s office said they agreed to resume negotiations.
“Today’s announcement will support a resumption of negotiations toward the July 21, 2025, timeline set out at this month’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis,” Carney said in a statement.
US to restart trade negotiations with Canada immediately, White House says
The United States will restart trade negotiations with Canada immediately after Canada scrapped its digital services tax targeting US technology firms, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has said.
“Absolutely,” Hassett said on Fox News when asked about the talks restarting.
Donald Trump asked the Canadians to take the tax off at the G7 meeting in Canada, he said.
It’s something that they’ve studied, now they’ve agreed to, and for sure, that means that we can get back to the negotiations.
Ottawa rescinded its digital services tax on tech giants, which would’ve come into effect today, after Trump abruptly called off trade talks on Friday amid a dispute over the levy and threatened new tariffs on Candian goods.
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent warns countries face higher tariff rates after 9 July deadline
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent has warned that countries could still face sharply higher tariffs on 9 July even if they are negotiating in good faith, adding that any potential extensions will be up to Donald Trump.
Bessent, who earlier floated the idea of negotiating extensions, told Bloomberg Television that he expects there to be “a flurry” of trade deals leading up to the 9 July deadline, after which 10% US tariff rates on goods from many countries are set to snap back to Trump’s 2 April announced rates of 11% to 50%.
“We have countries that are negotiating in good faith, but they should be aware that if we can’t get across the line because they are being recalcitrant, then we could spring back to the 2 April levels. I hope that won’t have to happen,” Bessent said.
Trump to sign order related to easing Syria sanctions – CBS
Donald Trump is scheduled to sign executive orders at 2.30pm ET today, according to his schedule.
One of the orders will pertain to easing US sanctions on Syria, CBS is reporting. Last month, Trump announced he would lift sanctions on Syria as part of measures to help the country rebuild after 14 devastating years of civil war, after meeting Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia.
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič to fly to Washington on Tuesday for trade talks
EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has said he will fly to Washington tomorrow for trade talks.
“We are absolutely focusing on … a positive outcome,” he told reporters.
Senate kicks off vote-a-rama on ‘big, beautiful bill’ as GOP scrambles to meet 4 July deadline
The Senate resumed its final debate on the “big, beautiful bill” this morning after a marathon weekend of adjusting legislation to fit parliamentarian rulings and appease particular senators.
During the lengthy vote-a-rama, senators will be able to offer an unlimited number of amendments related to the enormous proposed legislation. Democrats will be at the heart of this, seeking to amend the huge bill that will enact Trump’s domestic agenda.
I’ll bring you any key developments here.
Per my last post, Republicans can only afford to lose three votes, with senators Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, and Rand Paul, of Kentucky, already expected to vote “no” over proposed cuts to Medicaid and the inclusion of a $5tn debt ceiling hike, respectively.
Senate Republicans try to get Trump’s tax cuts over the line, setting aside cost concerns
Today, Senate Republicans will try to pass Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, despite divisions within the party about its expected $3.3tn hit to the national debt.
They are set for a marathon session in which the minority Democrats are allowed to offer an unlimited number of votes, part of the arcane process Republicans are using to bypass Senate rules that normally require 60 of the chamber’s 100 members to agree on legislation.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its assessment yesterday of the bill’s hit to the $36.2tn debt, figuring that it would add about $800bn more than the version passed last month in the House of Representatives.
Democrats, meanwhile, hope the latest, eye-widening figure could stoke enough anxiety among fiscally minded conservatives to get them to buck their party, which controls both chambers of Congress. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday:
Republicans are doing something the Senate has never, never done before, deploying fake math and accounting gimmicks to hide the true cost of the bill. Republicans are about to pass the single most expensive bill in US history to give tax breaks to billionaires while taking away Medicaid, SNAP benefits and good-paying jobs for millions of people.
The Senate narrowly advanced the tax-cut, immigration, border and military spending bill in a procedural vote late on Saturday, voting 51-49 to open debate on the 940-page megabill.
Trump on social media has hailed the progress as a “great victory” for his “great, big, beautiful bill.” In a separate post on Sunday, he added: “We will make it all up, times 10, with GROWTH, more than ever before.”
Trump wants the bill passed before the 4 July holiday. While that deadline is one of choice, lawmakers will face a far more serious deadline later this summer when they must raise the nation’s self-imposed debt ceiling or risk a devastating default.
If the Senate succeeds in passing the bill, it will then go to the House, where members are also divided, with some angry about its cost and others worried about cuts to the Medicaid program. Republicans can afford to lose no more than three votes in either chamber to pass a bill the Democrats are united in opposition to.
Trump administration finds Harvard violated students’ civil rights – WSJ
Donald Trump’s administration informed Harvard University that its investigation found that the university violated federal civil rights law over its treatment of Jewish and Israeli students, the Wall Street Journal is reporting, putting its federal funding further at risk.
In a letter sent to Harvard president Alan Garber today and seen by the Journal, attorneys for the administration said the investigation found that Harvard knew Jewish and Israeli students felt threatened on its campus and acted with deliberate indifference.
“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” the report quoted the letter as saying.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. We’ll bring you more on this as we get it.
Israel continues deadly attacks on Gaza ahead of potential White House talks on ceasefire
Israel is continuing its relentless bombardment of Gaza after tens of thousands of Palestinian people fled eastern parts of Gaza City in the north of the territory on Sunday after Israel warned of a major new offensive.
At least 25 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Monday, health authorities said in an updated toll, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun in southern Gaza City.
Two people seeking aid were also killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution centre in southern Rafah, sources at the Nasser medical complex told Al Jazeera.
The attacks come as Israeli officials are due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the US, which is fuelling the war by providing weapons to the Israeli military.
Israel’s strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer is expected at the White House later today for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said.
In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet is expected to convene to discuss the next steps in its widening assault on Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister has been accused of deliberately prolonging ceasefire negotiations – and blocking their progress – to ensure his own political survival by having the war continue.
You can follow our live coverage on the crisis here:
Thom Tillis won’t seek re-election after clash with Trump over ‘big beautiful bill’
Edward Helmore and Robert Mackey
Thom Tillis announced yesterday that he will not run for re-election to the US Senate next year, one day after the North Carolina Republican’s vote against Donald Trump’s signature piece of domestic legislation prompted the president to launch a barrage of threats and insults – as well as promise to support a primary challenger to defeat him in their party’s 2026 primary.
Tillis said in a statement sent to reporters:
In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.
As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.
Shortly after Tillis refused to support the “one big beautiful bill” in a procedural vote in the Senate on Saturday, Trump attacked the senator on his social media platform, Truth Social, accusing Tillis of grandstanding “in order to get some publicity for himself, for a possible, but very difficult re-election”. He also wrote that Tillis is making a “BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”
In a subsequent post, Trump threatened Tillis by saying he would meet with potential candidates to challenge him in a Republican primary in the battleground state. “Numerous people have come forward wanting to run” against Tillis, Trump wrote Saturday night. “I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America.”
Before Tillis announced his decision Sunday to retire from the Senate, Trump continued to attack him on social media, writing: “Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER! He’s even worse than Rand ‘Fauci’ Paul!”
Tillis was one of two Senate Republicans, along with Rand Paul of Kentucky, to vote against the bill championed by the president. Dr Anthony Fauci was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during Trump’s first presidency, and once a key adviser on the Covid-19 pandemic whose support of lockdowns and vaccines made him a hate figure for Trump’s base.
Trump’s attacks came hours after Tillis said in a statement that he “cannot support” the current form of the president’s spending bill. He pointed to expected cuts to Medicaid that he said would “result in tens of billions of dollars in lost funding for North Carolina, including our hospitals and rural communities”.