Asian American senators slam Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ after senate passage

Asian American senators condemned President Donald Trump’s tax and spending package Tuesday after it cleared the Senate in a 50-50 vote, with Vice President J.D. Vance providing the decisive ballot.

The legislation cleared the upper chamber after nearly 48 consecutive hours of reading, debating and voting, with three Republicans breaking ranks to oppose the measure alongside all Democrats. GOP senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky voted against their party, with Paul warning that “there will be a day that conservatives will rue the fact that some of them actually voted for this.”

The bill contains $4.5 trillion in tax reductions and approximately $1 trillion in spending cuts targeting Medicaid and other health programs, along with changes to food assistance. Budget analysts project about 12 million people will lose health care coverage if the bill becomes law, while adding nearly $3.3 trillion to federal deficits over 10 years. The measure also allocates $350 billion for border enforcement and deportations, with some costs covered by new immigrant fees.

New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim criticized his colleagues across the aisle, saying they “failed a simple test of courage, choosing to bend a knee to Donald Trump instead of defending millions of hardworking families they swore an oath to represent.” Kim proposed amendments targeting healthcare protections and SALT deduction relief, noting that more than 454,000 New Jersey families would see higher insurance costs under the Republican proposal.

Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono labeled the bill “a big ugly betrayal of the American people,” declaring that “while billionaires will gain, this bill is 1,000 pages of pain for hardworking families in Hawaii and across our country.” Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth also criticized the plan, saying lawmakers “would rather hurt middle-class families and our neighbors who are most in need than make the wealthy pay their fair share.” Duckworth projected that more than half a million Illinoisans would lose health coverage under the legislation.

Budget office analysis shows households in the lowest income bracket would lose an average of $1,600 annually from benefit reductions, while those in the highest bracket would gain an average of $12,000. Commenting on the matter, former Vice President Kamala Harris said the Senate Republicans’ vote would result in 17 million people losing healthcare, rural hospital shutdowns and food assistance cuts for three million Americans including veterans and seniors, all to fund tax breaks for billionaires.

The bill now moves to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged dissatisfaction with Senate modifications but committed to meeting Trump’s July 4 target date.