No end in sight for 'vote-a-rama'

The Senate’s “vote-a-rama” has entered its 14th hour with no end in sight, as Republicans seek to pass Donald Trump’s flagship spending bill, an unpopular package set to slash social welfare programs and add an eye-watering $US3 trillion to the national debt.

The President wants his “One Big Beautiful Bill” to extend his expiring first term tax cuts at a cost of $US4.5 trillion, boost military spending and fund his plans for unprecedented mass deportations and border security.

But senators eyeing 2026 midterm congressional elections are divided over provisions that would strip around $US1 trillion in subsidised health care from millions of the poorest Americans and add more than $US3.3 trillion to the nation’s already yawning budget deficits over a decade.

Mr Trump wants to have the package on his desk by the time Independence Day festivities begin on Friday. But progress in the Senate has slowed to a glacial pace with no end in sight as the so-called “vote-a-rama” – a session allowing members to offer unlimited amendments before a bill can move to final passage – went into a 14th hour.

With little sign of the pace picking up ahead of a final floor vote that could be delayed until well into the early hours of Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called for Republicans to “stay tough and unified”. Vote-a-ramas have been concluded in as little nine or 10 hours in the recent past and Democrats accused Republicans of deliberately slow-walking the process.

“They’ve got a lot of members who were promised things that they may not be able to deliver on. And so they’re just stalling,” Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.

“But we’re just pushing forward amendment after amendment. They don’t like these amendments. The public is on our side in almost every amendment we do.”