Absolute chaos has erupted on Capitol Hill after the Senate narrowly passed Donald Trump’s deeply controversial budget reconciliation bill—a bill so toxic that even some Republicans are publicly disavowing it. The vote was a razor-thin 50–50 split, with Republican Senators Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, and Rand Paul voting against the bill. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote, pushing the bill through 51–50.
And yet, one of the biggest headlines came from Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted for the bill—then immediately turned around and told reporters she didn’t like it. She’s now asking the House to “fix it” and send it back with changes. Her exact quote: “My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.”
Let that sink in: a U.S. Senator voted for a bill she hopes will be rejected and reworked by the House. And this isn’t an isolated example of GOP dysfunction—this whole process is a disaster in motion.
Now that the bill is back in the House, lawmakers there are facing enormous pressure from all sides. MAGA Republican Rep. Ralph Norman—who sits on the Rules Committee—called the Senate version “a non-starter” and says he will vote against it. He warned, “I don’t see how we pass it this Friday,” adding, “I don’t know why we would rush this.” But that’s exactly what Donald Trump wants: to force the bill through before the public can fully digest what’s in it.
Trump’s MAGA loyalists like House Speaker Mike Johnson are pushing hard to deliver Trump’s so-called “one big beautiful bill” by July 4th. Johnson said, “The American people gave us a clear mandate… we intend to deliver without delay.” But the truth is, this bill is wildly unpopular with the public and with many Republicans.
The bill slashes $1 trillion from Medicaid, kicks nearly 15 million Americans off healthcare, and removes food assistance for millions more—all while offering massive tax breaks to the wealthy. It would increase the national debt by $5 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Even Republicans who campaigned as fiscal conservatives are being called out for supporting it.
That includes by Elon Musk, who posted a blistering attack on X (formerly Twitter). He posted an image of Pinocchio labeled “LIAR” and warned that any lawmaker who campaigned on spending cuts but voted for this bill “should hang their head in shame.” Musk promised to fund primary challengers to those Republicans: “They will lose their primary next year if it’s the last thing on Earth I do.”
Trump, predictably, lashed out at Musk, threatening him with investigations and joking about using “Doge”—his imaginary mascot—as a weapon. “Maybe we put Doge on Elon,” Trump said during a bizarre rant, suggesting that Musk may have to “close up shop and go back to South Africa.”
This is the GOP civil war on full display: Trump threatening billionaires, senators begging the House to bail them out, and House Republicans fighting each other over whether to follow Trump’s lead—or finally grow a spine.
Meanwhile, Senator Murkowski is once again caught in the middle. Despite calling Trump’s behavior authoritarian in past interviews and expressing fear of retaliation, she caved—again—when it mattered most. And the only reason she voted yes? Because Alaska got a carveout. That means millions of Americans in other states may lose their healthcare so that Alaskans can be protected. It’s a sick trade-off that pits Americans against each other.
Trump, for his part, continues to lie, claiming that the bill doesn’t touch Medicaid or Medicare—despite the fact that the bill includes massive cuts. “Only waste, fraud, and abuse,” he insists, repeating a decades-old talking point that doesn’t stand up to basic scrutiny.
The House Rules Committee is now reviewing the bill, and a full floor vote could happen within days. If changes are made, it will bounce back to the Senate for reconciliation. Until then, the fate of Trump’s bill—and potentially millions of Americans’ healthcare—hangs in the balance.
This is not normal. This is legislative mayhem. And as it unfolds, the American people are the ones getting crushed in the crossfire. Stay tuned—and stay loud.