President Donald Trump is working to push his "big, beautiful bill" through the Senate in the face of resistance from some Senate Republicans and increasing criticism from Elon Musk.
Republicans hold slender majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, meaning that only a few lawmakers can rebel and vote against the bill without threatening its chances of passing: Republicans hold 220 of the 435 seats (with two vacancies) in the House and 53 of the 100 in the Senate.
Some of those lawmakers have already raised serious concerns about the bill -- more in the Senate than in the House, where the bill passed by just one vote -- which has put its passage in doubt.
While the Senate can theoretically pass the bill at any time -- meaning it accepts the House version as is -- it is highly unlikely to pass it any sooner than July 4th, which is already a very ambitious timeline for the chamber, as Republicans remain divided on several aspects.
Congress has the power of the purse, meaning funding and spending at the various agencies across the government must receive approval from both chambers. Normally, each agency and congressional committee submits separate bills that receive approval, but Trump is eager to enact his significant financial and social policy reformations.
Trump urged congressional Republicans to pass one bill that includes all the funding he needs to enact his raft of various policies, including major tax reforms -- including the permanent extension of his 2017 tax cuts and new deductions for tips, overtime pay, car loan interest and more.
The bill will also raise the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap to $30,000 and introduce savings and investment accounts for children born during his second administration.
The spending proposal also includes a major overhaul of Medicaid -- including work requirements for recipients above the poverty line -- and restrictions on services, such as cutting any funding for child gender-affirming care and nonprofits that provide abortion services.
Changes to education and student loan funding are also included in the bill, like heightened eligibility requirements for Pell Grants and increased taxes on private university endowments.
The "big, beautiful bill" features a $150 billion increase in the Department of Defense budget as well.
The House of Representatives passed the bill on May 22 by one vote, 215-214, as two Republicans -- Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio -- voted along with the Democrats against the bill.
Representative Andy Harris of Maryland voted "present," while Representatives David Schweikert of Arizona and Andrew Garbarino of New York did not vote at all.
Congress was meant to pass a budget bill by mid-March to avoid a government shutdown but had to settle for a "continuing resolution," giving lawmakers until the end of September to pass a budget.
With the thin margins, the Senate voted and passed a measure to allow them to use reconciliation, which allows Congress to pass its budget bill with a simple majority rather than the usual two-thirds.
Despite that considerable time frame, Trump has suggested that the Senate should pass the bill by July 4th, playing into the president's love of patriotic displays and tying his policy decisions into nationalism -- such as calling the day he announced his reciprocal tariffs "Liberation Day."
Musk has lashed out against the bill since he left the Department of Government Efficiency, not only lambasting the fiscal plan but those who voted in support of it.
Among his various posts in the past couple of days, Musk has written on X:
"False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!"
"Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill."
"In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!"
"Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill."