Vice President JD Vance arrived at the U.S. Capitol early Tuesday as the Senate was in the midst of a vote-a-rama as the chamber puts the final touches on President Donald Trump's signature budget legislation dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill."
Vance is on hand to act as a potential tiebreaker if exactly three Republican senators join all 47 Democrats in opposing the bill.
As of late Tuesday morning, the Senate was voting on a series of proposed amendments to the bill. Since Monday morning, the Senate has considered 46 different amendments in what is being dubbed as a "vote-a-rama."
Republican senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis have already expressed their opposition to the bill as it was written. Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, along with Tillis, have expressed concerns over potential cuts to Medicaid because of the bill.
The bill would make over $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid.
Over the weekend, Senate Republicans cleared significant hurdles to advance the bill, despite efforts by Democrats to stall it.
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Senate Democrats forced a 16-hour reading of the bill, using the delay to criticize proposed cuts to Medicaid and public food assistance programs.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the Senate's version of the bill would add more than $3 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. While Republicans argue that tax cuts in the bill will fuel economic growth, the legislative path forward remains politically uncertain.
As the week unfolds, President Trump is expected to play a hands-on role in rallying support. If the bill passes the Senate, it will return to the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a narrow majority.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that a heavily modified bill could take more time to finalize in that chamber.
"I have prevailed upon my Senate colleagues to please, please, please keep it as close to the House product as possible," Johnson said.
President Trump has said he wants the bill on his desk by the Fourth of July. But on Tuesday, he acknowledged it might take more time for the bill to reach the finish line.
"Nothing's easy because we made a great big bill. We added everything in there for everybody and it's also a beautiful economic development bill, great for the border, great for low taxes," he said.
The bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts as it would extend tax cuts previously approved by Congress in 2017 during President Trump's first term. Those rates would expire at the end of the year without an extension.
It would also bolster border security and enforcement by $350 billion, a point Vance made to senators imploring their support for the bill.
