It’s Tuesday. Happy July!! 🫐🦞
In today’s issue:
- Senate passes ‘big, beautiful bill’
- Thune tosses it back to Johnson
- House to return Wednesday
- Tidbits from the 27-hour vote-a-rama
- Trump tours ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
- Musk reignites public Trump feud
🚨️ ON CAPITOL HILL
By golly, they actually did it:
Senate Republicans just passed President Trump’s legislative agenda, roughly 27 hours after the dramatic marathon vote-a-rama began (!)
GOP Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine) — and all 47 Democrats — voted “no.” 50 Republicans voted “yes” and Vice President Vance broke the tie.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cut a deal with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a key holdout whose support unlocked the bill’s final passage, late this morning. The bill’s text was changed to soften the impact of Medicaid cuts and food stamp cuts in Alaska.
What were the last-minute bill changes? CNN’s Sarah Ferris published a list of changes, including:
- The rural hospital fund has been doubled.
- An excise tax on wind and solar projects was removed.
- The ban on gender affirming care in Medicaid has been dropped.
📸 Vance arriving at the Capitol this morning: He looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed compared to how every senator must feel after pulling an all-nighter.
How we could tell leaders were optimistic: The mood shifted to a more jovial, relaxed scene this morning. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was apparently telling jokes and stories on the Senate floor about playing golf with Trump.
➤ SPEAKER JOHNSON, IT WILL BE BACK TO YOU SHORTLY:
The Senate will toss its version back to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) must re-wrangle the votes.
Johnson urged his colleagues to “please, please, please, put it as close to the House product as possible.” Remember, the Senate upped the Medicaid cuts, which are already politically unpopular among House moderates.
Thune said this morning that he has not discussed the bill changes with Johnson yet, per The Hill’s Mychael Schnell.
📃📃Side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate bills
Johnson is already working with incredibly tight margins. The bill just barely eked by the House in a 215-214 vote in May.
Timing: The House Rules Committee is expected to meet roughly an hour after the Senate passes the bill. And the House will return Wednesday to take it up, with leadership urging members to return to Washington.
➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:
Tillis blew a kiss at the camera: An X user asked why. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) explained, “My grandbabies, after they asked ‘what if Papa misses all the days’ of our family vacation.” 📹Tillis blowing a kiss📹Another angle
What a dramatic photo: Check out Murkowskiand Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) 📸walk to the Senate floortogether.
📸Compare the Senate drink cooler Monday morning vs. night
Mullin made a bet with reporters — and lost: Shortly before midnight, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) predicted to reporters that the bill would pass before sunrise. If he was wrong, he’d buy them food next week. But if he was right, journalists couldn’t ask him any questions for a week. Guess lunch is on him! 😉
Breakfast delivery: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had McDonald’s breakfast delivered for the GOP cloakroom, per HuffPost’s Igor Bobic.
📸Sen. Deb Fischer paused for a sunrise photo on the Capitol steps
Exhaustion sets in: Check out Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) 📸sitting on the floor of the well in the Senate.
📸A woman was arrested for protesting in the Senate gallery
*Collective awwwww*: Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) brought his baby on the floor for “baby’s first vote-a-rama.” A crowd formed around them. 📹 Watch
Mullin’s behind-the-scenes Capitol tour: Mullen has been posting short videos explaining some of the history of the U.S. Capitol. 📹His 5:45 a.m. video📹His 3:30 a.m. video 📹 His 9:30 p.m. video
Amazing: Check out this back and forth between Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and a reporter. It’s very funny.
Tidbit — Wicker missed out on his audience with the pope: The Hill’s Alexander Bolton shared on NewsNation that Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) was supposed to leave Monday for Portugal for a security conference and was guaranteed an audience with the new pope in Vatican City but had to cancel the trip due to the megabill voting.
🐊 TRUMP’S DAY
Meanwhile at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida …:
President Trump visited Florida this morning to attend the grand opening of a new migrant detention facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” in a remote part of the Everglades.
The trip had been in the works long before the Senate’s vote-a-rama extended beyond 24 hours. The Senate wrangling was on Trump’s mind as he arrived at the Florida facility, with the president asking reporters if the bill had passed.
Umm …: Trump told reporters this morning that migrants would need to know how to run away from an alligator to escape. “Don’t run in a straight line, Trump said, acting out a zig-zagging motion. “And you know what? Your chances go up by about 1 percent.” 📹 Watch Trump’s description
💻 Watch Trump’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ roundtable
Part 2 of ‘The Very Public Breakup’:
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has reignited his public feud with President Trump this week while Capitol Hill Republicans attempt to push his agenda over the finish line.
Musk is on a rampage against the “big, beautiful bill” — the same legislation that sparked their breakup in the first place — taking public shots at his old friend and boss. 🔎 Check out his X feed today
That’s a powerful threat: Musk vowed to back primary challengers to any Republicans who vote “yes” on Trump’s monster bill. He has the deepest pockets of anyone in the world, making that threat particularly poignant. He specifically noted that he will donate to Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-Ky.) reelection campaign.
Trump may use DOGE against Musk: Trump warned today that he might use the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to take a “good, hard, look” at Musk’s companies.
Oh, and Trump was asked whether he would deport Musk. He said he would have to take a look at it.
➤ TIDBIT — MORE TRUMP MERCH:
Trump announced a new business venture on Monday: Trump Fragrances.
Keep in mind that Trump’s wide array of business ventures raises ethical concerns about conflicts of interest.
COMING UP
The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is in Florida. (All times EST)
2:45 p.m.: Trump returns to the White House from Florida.
July 16: The Hill and NewsNation host their inaugural Hill Nation Summit in Washington. Request to attend.
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
🍪 Celebrate: Today is National Gingersnap Day.
🧘 Lululemon is suing Costco: Lululemon accused Costco of ripping off its designs by selling dupes of its products.
🚀 A Netflix x NASA collab: Netflix will now livestream NASA’s launches, spacewalks and other live events, starting this summer.
🌯 How DARE YOU bash one of my favorites: The Atlantic’s Ellen Cushing published a hit piece on wraps. “The worst sandwich is back,” the headline reads.
Excerpt: “At best, [wraps] ruin perfectly serviceable fillings by bundling them up in a gummy, cold tortilla. At worst, they do this with less-than-serviceable fillings. They’re like a salad, but less refreshing, or like a sandwich, but less filling—a worst-of-all-worlds Frankenstein’s monster, an indistinguishable food slurry wrapped in edible cardboard, like the world’s rudest present.”
👋 AND FINALLY…
Because I must leave you on a summery note to keep the vibes strong, enjoy this dog’s idea of a perfect day at the beach.