Washington, June 29 EST: The Senate chamber was all but empty by 3 a.m., save for a couple of yawning aides and the relentless, almost rhythmic drone of a clerk reading line 6,241 of Donald Trump’s sweeping 940-page budget-and-tax megabill aloud.
Democrats aren’t sleepwalking through this.
They’re dragging it out on purpose.
Senate Democrats Stretch Floor Time to Spotlight GOP Priorities
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his caucus are deploying one of the oldest time-buying tactics in the book: forcing a full public reading of the bill. Word for word. Page by page.
The move is meant to slow momentum on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) — a massive piece of legislation being fast-tracked by Senate Republicans under budget reconciliation rules. Because Democrats can’t filibuster the bill directly, they’re using the limited tools still at their disposal: long readings, procedural objections, and a barrage of amendments.
“We want the American people to hear every word,” Sen. Brian Schatz told reporters outside the chamber. “Not just because it’s long — but because of what’s in it.”
What’s in it, according to Democrats and a growing number of outside analysts, is a volatile mix of deep Medicaid and SNAP cuts, $3.8 trillion in permanent tax reductions, expanded fossil fuel subsidies, and a 10-year federal override of state-level AI regulation.
“It’s one thing to pass a budget,” a senior Democratic aide told The Daily Beast, “it’s another to smuggle half the Trump agenda into a foot-high stack of legalese the weekend before the Fourth of July.”
A Razor-Thin Path, and Even Thinner Patience
Republicans don’t have a ton of wiggle room. The bill cleared a procedural vote late Friday in a narrow 51–49 tally, just enough to move it into the debate phase.
They’ll need to hold nearly everyone together — with only three potential Senate defections to spare. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has voiced alarm over the Medicaid cuts. Rand Paul broke ranks on a debt ceiling deal earlier this year and hasn’t ruled out joining Democrats again. Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are also reportedly “uneasy,” especially about provisions gutting green tax incentives and overriding local tech laws.
But so far, leadership has kept a lid on major defections. Minority Whip John Thune said late Saturday that “momentum is holding” and expects “a final vote by mid-week.”
The Grind: What’s Still Ahead
As of Saturday evening, Senate clerks had already been reading for more than 12 hours straight. Some aides brought sleeping bags. Others popped ibuprofen. Schumer smiled grimly when asked if the delay was “worth it.”
Next comes up to 20 hours of formal floor debate, divided between the parties — though that time can shrink if senators yield their blocks early. After that, it’s vote-a-rama: a no-holds-barred session where lawmakers can introduce unlimited amendments, one after another, some lasting only minutes, others potentially triggering fierce floor battles.
It’s all got to wrap before July 4, or Republicans risk missing their self-imposed deadline — and a window to tout the bill during Independence Day events.
The House still has to approve any changes made by the Senate. That’s where things get tricky. With only a three-vote margin and House conservatives already grumbling about “watered-down border provisions,” final passage isn’t a lock.
Why It Matters
To Democrats, it’s not just about delay — it’s about visibility. They want voters in red, blue, and especially purple states to see the scale of what’s happening. A trillion-dollar tax shift. Safety net cuts. Fossil fuel perks. A clampdown on state tech laws. They believe if the public sees it all, in broad daylight, it might shift the political math.
Republicans argue the opposite — that the bill delivers real relief and “bold American energy” without the regulatory red tape. The White House projects it could shrink the deficit by $1.4 trillion, citing dynamic growth estimates. But the Congressional Budget Office tells a different story: by their count, it adds $2.4 to $2.8 trillion to the deficit by 2034 and could leave up to 11 million Americans uninsured.
As for the name? A Trump flourish, no doubt. But whether the “big, beautiful” bill is remembered as a legacy achievement or a legislative landmine will depend on what happens over the next 72 hours.
There’s no script for that. Just exhaustion, elbows, and the hum of legislative machinery grinding into dawn.
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A political science PhD who jumped the academic ship to cover real-time governance, Olivia is the East Coast's sharpest watchdog. She dissects power plays in Trenton and D.C. without bias or apology.
