Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' passes first Senate vote by narrow margin

The Senate has moved to open debate on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful, bill" in a 51-49 vote. The crucial procedural vote increases the chances that the budget bill will be passed in the coming days.

The result followed hours of closed-door negotiations as Vice President JD Vance and Republican leaders tried to convince hesitant Republicans.

The vote means Senate will now debate the nearly 1,000 pages of text that makes up the "big, beautiful bill", which would fund the president's immigration, border, tax-cut and military priorities.

It remains uncertain if the bill will ultimately pass the Senate, as Senate Republicans remain divided over the bill's provisions.

Last night's vote remained open for over three hours as three Republican senators Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson and Rand Paul, joined Democrats to oppose the legislation. Senator Johnson finally changed his "no" vote to yes.

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Mr Trump was monitoring the vote from the Oval Office late into the night, a senior White House official said.

The US President posted on Truth Social following the vote: "Tonight we saw a GREAT VICTORY in the Senate with the “GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL, but, it wouldn’t have happened without the Fantastic Work of Senator Rick Scott, Senator Mike Lee, Senator Ron Johnson, and Senator Cynthia Lummis."

Democrats have opposed the bill, saying it would benefit wealthy Americans at the expense of social programs that lower-income Americans rely on, such as Medicaid.

Nonpartisan analysts estimate that a version of the bill would add trillions to U.S. government debt.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will force Republicans to read out the 940 pages of the bill before the Senate can begin debate in an effort to delay the process.

Some Republicans in the House of Representatives, which passed the bill by a single vote last month, have expressed concerns over a series of changes in the Senate version of the bill, intended to address areas of Republican disagreement.

In a memo sent to Senate offices, the White House endorsed the latest revisions to the bill and called for its passage. The memo reportedly warned that failure to approve the budget "would be the ultimate betrayal".

The bill will now require a simple majority to pass the Senate. Republicans outnumber Democrats in the Senate by 53 to 47.