Senate Republicans narrowly advanced President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50-50 tie after hours of debate. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes permanent tax cuts and major reductions to government programs, now returns to the House for final approval.⁠
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Three Senate Republicans—Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, and Rand Paul—joined Democrats in opposing the bill. Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski voted yes after negotiations. The legislation proposes cuts to Medicaid and food subsidies while preserving Trump-era tax breaks. Critics, including the House Freedom Caucus, warned the bill could add $650 billion annually to the deficit. “That’s not fiscal responsibility,” the caucus posted on Monday.⁠
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President Trump had hoped to sign the bill by July 4, but said meeting that date would be “very hard.” Tech executive Elon Musk, who helped Trump win the presidency, has turned against the bill, citing its impact on renewable energy. “Every member of Congress who… voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame,” Musk posted on X.⁠
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Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s public feud has reignited after a short-lived pause. “Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”⁠
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Trump was responding to a series of criticisms Musk levied over the last two days against the president’s signature “Big Beautiful Bill,” which today passed the Senate and is headed to the House. Musk accused the GOP of abandoning its fiscal promises, calling it the “PORKY PIG PARTY!!” and labeling the bill “political suicide.” He wrote, “Every member of Congress who… voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!” and pledged to help primary those lawmakers out of office.⁠
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Musk also backed Rep. Thomas Massie, reposted a call to support him, and threatened to launch a new political faction. “If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” he wrote. He also warned that the bill’s defunding of contempt enforcement “enables many other abuses of power by the President,” and posted a poll asking whether such a provision should be allowed.⁠
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On Tuesday, Trump told reporters he would “have to take a look” at deporting Musk and again invoked DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk once led. “We might have to put DOGE on Elon,” Trump said, alluding to turning the agency against Musk and potentially targeting his federal contracts and subsidies.⁠
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Roughly two dozen states filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration over sweeping cuts to AmeriCorps, the federal volunteer service program established in 1993. ⁠
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The suit accuses the Department of Government Efficiency of unlawfully gutting the agency and terminating hundreds of millions in congressionally approved grants. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the administration made “abrupt and drastic cuts to staff and volunteers and terminated grants.”⁠
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AmeriCorps programs support more than 200,000 members annually, many of whom receive stipends and education benefits while working in community organizations, disaster relief, and public service projects.⁠
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According to the complaint, at least 85% of staff were placed on administrative leave this month, and some 2,000 members of the National Civilian Community Corps were informed they would be dismissed early. Notices sent to grantees cited a shift in agency priorities.⁠
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The White House defended the move by citing $40 million in improper payments attributed to documentation and coding errors. “President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,” said Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly. ⁠
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Congress has passed the Take It Down Act, a bipartisan bill targeting the spread of non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated deepfakes. ⁠
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The legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz and Amy Klobuchar and backed by First Lady Melania Trump, makes it illegal to knowingly publish such content without consent and requires platforms to remove it within 48 hours of notification. ⁠
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President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law.⁠
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Supporters say the law is needed to address online abuse, particularly the rise of AI-generated sexual content. The bill requires platforms to also remove duplicates of flagged content and extends liability protections to victims. ⁠
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Tech companies like Meta have endorsed the measure. Civil liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have raised concerns about the bill’s language and scope. ⁠
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They argue the takedown rules are overly broad and could be misused to remove lawful content, including news, protest imagery, and consensual material falsely flagged as non-consensual. ⁠
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The group also warned that automated takedown systems could suppress protected speech due to the law’s tight removal timeline and vague definitions.⁠
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