Washington — Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said Sunday that President Trump’s tax bill that’s nearing a final vote in the Senate will be a “political albatross” for Republicans, citing the cuts to social safety nets and its projected effect on the national debt.
“I think many of my Republican friends know they’re walking the plank on this, and we’ll see if those who’ve expressed quiet consternation will actually have the courage of their conviction,” Warner said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
The Senate is working through the weekend as the GOP makes a push to pass the legislation, known as the “big, beautiful bill,” ahead of a July 4 deadline to get the bill to the president’s desk. The House narrowly approved the bill last month, but the Senate has been putting its imprint on the massive package that extends Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and would fund border security, defense and energy production priorities, costs which are offset in part by cuts to healthcare and nutrition programs. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the legislation would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the next decade.
In addition to the increase to the national debt, Warner criticized the bill for the toll he warned it would take on rural hospitals, access to health insurance, food assistance and clean energy jobs.
The Senate is expected to begin a marathon overnight session Sunday as the bill nears final passage. It would then return to the House for signoff on the upper chamber’s changes, before it can go to the president’s desk for his signature.
Senate Republicans are working to pass the legislation under the budget reconciliation process, which allows the party in the majority to move ahead without support from across the aisle. The process means Senate Democrats have few mechanisms to combat the bill, which they largely oppose, apart from delaying a vote. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer forced the bill to be read on the floor in its entirety late Saturday, which has pushed back debate on the bill by more than 12 hours.
When asked why Democrats are expected to widely oppose the bill when there are provisions within it that they may see as favorable, such as an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and a provision limiting taxes on tips, Warner said “you can put as much lipstick on this pig as you want.”
The Virginia Democrat suggested that the bill could even lose support from Republicans, saying “it’s not over until it’s over.” He added that while Mr. Trump “has been able to hold his party in line in an unprecedented manner,” the bill “will come back and bite them.”
All but two Republicans voted to advance the measure Saturday in a key test vote. But the GOP win came after hours of hand-wringing over whether a handful of Republicans would prevent the legislation from moving forward. The vote remained open for more than three hours Saturday night as holdouts met with Senate GOP leaders to seek assurances on the bill. And Vice President JD Vance was on hand to break a possible tie vote, though his vote ultimately wasn’t needed. He joined a meeting with GOP holdouts in the majority leader’s office Saturday night.
Vance’s presence at the Capitol came as the White House put pressure on Republicans in Congress to get the legislation to the president’s desk. In a Truth Social post Saturday night, Mr. Trump indicated he would work to support primary challenges to one of the bill’s opponents, GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who is up for reelection in 2026.
GOP Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who also appeared Sunday on “Face the Nation,” said Republicans in the House “know their jobs are at risk” if they oppose the measure, citing pressure from the president and the American people themselves. He said “our base back home will not reelect us to office if we vote no on this.”
“Everyone in the House, they know the peril they’re in if they vote no on this thing,” McCaul said.
The Texas Republicans said he plans to support the measure when it returns to the House due to its funding for border security and defense, along with the tax cut extensions. And he predicted that it will see support even among fiscal hawks who have expressed opposition to the legislation.
“At the end of the day, I think they’re going to vote for it,” McCaul said.
