On the Senate floor Friday evening, all eyes were on Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who emerged as a pivotal vote on the “Big Beautiful Bill,” holding out for hours before ultimately casting a decisive “Aye” that helped advance the Republican-led measure by the slimmest possible margin.
The Senate convened at 10 am Alaska time to begin a day of deliberations and voting on the controversial domestic policy package, which includes a sweeping array of tax, spending, and regulatory provisions. By 5 pm, the vote had been open for over an hour, and the count stood at 50 against and 46 in favor of the bill. All Democrats had voted “No,” joined by Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Sen. Murkowski had yet to vote.
Murkowski remained in her seat during the high-stakes proceedings, at one point engaged in a long conversation with Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Her presence and silence loomed large in the chamber — she was, it seemed in that moment, in the rare position to either doom or deliver the bill’s path forward. The tension in the chamber was palpable.
At approximately 5:20 pm, Murkowski stood and made her way to the well of the Senate. She spoke briefly with the clerk, who then recorded her vote as “Aye,” nudging the tally to 47 in favor and 50 against. Her vote did not secure passage on its own, but it signaled to Senate watchers that the Republican leadership still had a chance to clinch the win, but only if the three remaining GOP senators could be brought on board.
Those three senators — Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, and Rick Scott of Florida — had not been on the floor during the early stages of the vote. Sources indicated they were involved in negotiations with the Trump administration, which had been working to secure final votes behind closed doors. Murkowski was not part of those negotiations, suggesting her support had been determined separately from the ongoing deal-making.
Roughly an hour after Murkowski’s vote, all three of the remaining Republican holdouts filed into the chamber and voted “Aye.” That brought the total to 50–50, setting the stage for Vice President J.D. Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote. He was sitting nearby ready to act.
Then Sen. Ron Johnson flipped his vote from “No” back to “Aye.” and the motion to proceed passed 51-49. Only Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Rand Paul were “No” votes on the Republican side.
The New York Times later reported that Murkowski’s support was won through “lavish” policy concessions to Alaskans written into the bill, but the story is more complicated. She did, however, win concessions in the SNAP program and Medicaid.
With the procedural hurdle now cleared, the Senate is expected to begin formal debate and amendment consideration on the bill. Murkowski’s vote to proceed to the main vote does not guarantee that she will support the bill.
Yay. Everyone celebrate adding $4.5 trillion to the debt and kicking poor people off of Medicaid! So much winning for our country.
Which poor people are being kicked off medicaid? Those that are able bodied and capable of working but choose not to? Are those the cuts you are talking about? Or is it restricting medicaid to only those in the country legally?
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As to the added debt, that $4.5T is over the next 10 years. And, I do agree totally, adding $450B a year in debt is a really bad fiscal policy, but to say it is $4.5T without disclosing the timeline is disingenuous at best. You are better than that cman.
Exactly CBM. The leaches being kicked off are the ones cman wants to hold down. There is no free lunch. Most of the people on Medicaid need a push forward not backward. Our current welfare system is a complete failure it traps people in poverty it doesn’t help them move forward.
When it’s help you need someday, I doubt that you will appreciate a “push”. So smug and sanctimonious just because you are fortunate and successful. Disgusting.
Cman, maybe you should ask yourself “Why is it that medical care in America is so expensive that so little people can actually afford it without some kind of intervention or assistance?”
Perhaps the issue isn’t with cutting medicaid, but with how the behemoth we call western medicine that has such an extraordinary appetite that not even the government can sustain? Perhaps you should take better care of your health and not be so reliant on the predatory system to make sure you are all snuggled up in “care”.
It is likely that the policy “concessions” obtained by Senator Lisa will provide NO benefits to the average Alaskan. The things she has extracted will be for favored and fashionable fat cats, Native corporations (and tribes!) and Leftist NGOs.
She could have prevented so much pain.
Its not over yet….If anyone has a belly ache and wants to call senators, don’t call our senators. The bill is increasing the debt ceiling big time. Some things in the bill people may have heart burn over and the increase of medicaid and SNAP to feed the illegals and take care of them we are still paying for in the bill. Call your preference of senators on Monday and state your position. It still has more argument to go through.
Points that are decorated by the author are incorrect and Murkowski did not carry the day for the bill as it is, It has more debating to go and voting.
The increase of the debt ceiling should not happen as there are many programs and projects that are being repealed in the bill. The author of this article did not read the whole bill and Murkowski is not telling the truth. Never count on Murkowski to tell the truth. Read the bill and call senators of your choice on the last of issues to vote on.
Would that Lisa had listened to Alaskans more than Sen. Bill Cassidy. I’m actually stunned that she voted ‘aye.’ Then again, her polling could have indicated that she had better support the bill or she might not have a job again come re-election time.
Highly confused? Departed from Reality? Drama Queen? Super inflated ego? Totally compromised? WHO is Lisa Murkowski?
And we move closer to another five (or so) trillions of dollars of debt. Good for Paul and Tillis.. too bad there weren’t a few more with some backbone.
If it doesn’t pass the tax increase will be the death of the Democratic party.
The average American doesn’t follow this closely enough to understand the nuances of the bill
Millions upon millions of people vote the way they did in the last election. Was my life better or worse when Trump was president compared to Biden?
Make a mistake in the Democrats understand it fully, a huge tax increase that would torpedo the economy and cause a recession will absolutely be blamed on Trump
Five trillion in debt over what timeframe, Anchor?
Next fiscal year, or over the next 10 years?
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Presenting that number without the timeframe for context tells a very different story.
Even though she votes in your favor, you will still continue to trash her. Just watch later today as the comments begin to roll in.
Democrats don’t want her either. She’s just part of a holding pattern until we find someone who’s a little brighter than Lisa Murkowski. Whidbey even stated as much on my wonderful blog.
While I do not know her specific reasons for voting in favor, I do know, using direct statements from the Senator herself that she is in it for her direct benefit. If she thought it would make it easier to get re-elected by voting no, she would have elbowed people out of the way to vote first, and loudly.
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But, she knows this benefits Alaska and the US. But, also knows her main supporters (democrats) are against it. Which leads directly to the drama.
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Finally, one vote, one action does not erase all the votes she did cast that harmed the State and harmed the US. The saying is “one foul up erases a hundred ‘atta-boys” not the other way around.
Dermutt gets a windfall from Whidbey, not from posting at Dermutt’s site, but rather here at MRAK. Jealousy runs deep with Dermutt. He can’t scoop a story before Suzanne, so he quietly pays his sources a disrupter fee. And all Whidbey has to do is buy him a full bottle of whiskey every other day. Yes, journalism for Marxists really gets down to the quantity of alcohol that decouples the mind.
Sorry, no payola here. All my opinions are my own.
I doubt that, they’re usually written for you by the farthest Insane left wing of the Democrats.
The mangy curs have to stick together, Der Mutt and the furry pretending to be a dog named Whidbey
And so it begins. Lisa’s towing the line with party to pretend to be a conservative. Elections are a.coming
Princess Lisa (RINO-DC) did not vote “aye”, she actually voted “I” — as in, “it’s all about what I say and what I want!”
Princess loves to sit on the fence, so that she can garner the attention that she otherwise would never deserve and receive.
She talking bids for her services.
In other words, she’s an expensive hooker.
Republican traitors. Gone is any effort to balance the US budget. This bill is a train wreck, adding trillions to our US debt. It sets us on the path for higher interest payments- which are already one trillion dollars per year, and even higher interest rates as the credit rating agencies have downgraded the United States for its reckless spending.
Republicans could have provided real leadership in getting our deficit spending under control. Democrats don’t care, so where will the leadership come from? The answer is, there is no leadership. The clowns in both parties are going to destroy the value of the US dollar through significant inflation. Democrats gave us 20 percent inflation under the demented Joe Biden. Republicans now own this fiscal train wreck.
That train wreck has already left the station, and is rambling along at 100 miles an hour.
Putting a 2×4 across the tracks is going to do nothing to stop it. Instead, measured and careful steps must be taken to wrestle it under control.
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Thought experiment.
What would you cut, and how would that decrease the debt?
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That is not to say I agree with the BBB. In fact, I think it is not a good bill overall. There are good parts, and unfortunately, too many bad parts. But, it is what we got.
CB. How about we cut the defense department. Bugs me that no one suggests that.
It’s suggested every single time a spending bill is introduced.
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Now… on to your suggestion.
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How many jobs does military spending create?
How many jobs does welfare create?
Which expenditure creates more tax revenue?
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Answer those questions, any you might realize why military spending rarely sees cuts.
If they cut defense Manny, there would be less technology for your heroes in the CCP to steal
And, how about we cut Health and Human services instead of the DoD?
I bet you think the DoD has the largest budget. Turns out… not anymore.
CBM, good thought experiment idea. Republicans, those fiscally irresponsible nitwits, are deficit spending this year by almost $2 trillion dollars. Republicans are growing spending over last year by almost $356 billion dollars.
Our total debt as a percentage of GDP is now a staggering 120%.
We need critical leadership, but are not going to get it from Trump, a Democrat most of his life who grew the US debt by $8 trillion in his first four years, and who also has six bankruptcies.
So, here’s what should be considered.
We suspend interest payments on the debt, and that save us one trillion dollars. It then nearly ensures Congress will not be able to go into debt any further as no lenders would want to take the risk. It would be preferable to have a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, but that isn’t likely.
So, We just saved on trillion dollars. Next step is to cut another $1 trillion dollars from the US budget. We spend half a trillion per year on welfare, so that could be cut by $300 billion. I’d cut the overall budget to the level it was at in 2024, and that would save us another $350 billion. I’d then cut $200 billion from defense and other discretionary spending. We can’t afford to be the world’s policeman. Sorry. But that ends.
The remaining $150 billion would be cut from “other”, to include no more private jets for government officials. Other perks for Congress should be slashed. Members get over $174,000 per year- that could be cut by $50,000.
Again, this is a thought experiment. There’s a lot of room for improvement. But the bottom line is the debt crisis is urgent- and significant reforms are needed right now!
This problem only gets harder to solve the longer Republicans ignore it.
All valid points…
Suspending debt service is not quite that simple, as there are laws involved, and before Congress could do that, they would have to change the law. And, odds are… the SCOTUS would find a law saying “ignore the interest on the debt” as unConstitutional.
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Cut the waste, and save billions, but in order to cut the debt, we need to cut spending by trillions. A billion is 1/1,000th of a trillion.
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Finally, do not place the blame on Republicans alone. Yes… they claim to be the fiscally responsible ones, then they act like democrats, but the massive debt and spending is democrat driven. I have yet to see an entitlement program the dems do not adore. That Republicans play along, that is a blight on their side of the political aisle.
Murkowski shows how poorly she understands healthcare and economics, but what can you expect from the “Becky” of Alaska’s political theater or her 3rd wheel understanding of governance – Alaska’s insurance market is a cesspool of bureaucracy and no innovation, choice or actual medical talent no medical talent exists in Alaska… Hello, Becky, er uhm, Murkowski, a public health degree isn’t talent you want cracking open your chest or spine. Murkowski does nothing to help Alaskans. I am actually losing respect for the voters in Alaska- she’s on the Medicaid gravy train while most people with catastrophic illness and disability do not qualify for Medicaid or they have very little to no Medicare options in Alaska and thats not a dream you want to live anyway! Murkowski can only envision Alaska as a commie state where bureaucracy rules and people die or leave Alaska, like me. I have excellent Healthcare today!
Elon laid bare the unbelievable grift, even outright theft of tax money and in some cases, completely fake money. Almost no one in congress supported his efforts. It’s because almost none of them want those things to stop. If the exact same bill were submitted by democrats, the votes would be exactly opposite, save for Paul, Johnson, Tillis. How is it that so many people of average wealth enter congress and somehow, over the course of just a few years, become millionaires? Any legitimate functions of the federal government could easily be paid for by a flat income tax of just a few percent. The U.S. federal government is, at this point, nothing more than a giant left wing theft machine. Anyone who actually believes that balancing the budget is possible at this point is horribly delusional. The plan, without question, is to eventually transition to a CBDC system, finally removing the last bit of control any of us have over the money that we earn.
You are absolutely correct. 100%.
Tillis voted against the BBB. Next thing you know, Trump eviscerates him online and Tillis announces he will not run for re-election. Perhaps Lisa knew the same would happen to her. Her hold on Alaska politics, combined with her TDS, is slipping. Perhaps we will all be lucky enough to see her “Tillised” next election cycle?
RCV will put her bony backside right back into a Senate seat. The leftists in Alaska will vote for her without hesitation.
Rare for me not to criticize Lisa, but I won’t on this vote. Despite the apparent increase in debt and deficit, the BBB bill must pass because if not, our taxes increase greatly.
Remember that to reverse the course the crooked leftist Dems and RINO officials have put us on, we must give President Trump a win on this!
The HUGE difference between previous spending bills and this one is that much more of YOUR tax money stays in YOUR hands rather than being sent to the swamp creatures to spend it against you as they always have! Furthermore, Trump’s leadership is radically different from previous ones and he has and will continue to put the American people’s interests FIRST.
Trump has not let you down, so don’t let him down! God bless Trump and America!
The fact that Lisa voted like a Republican on this one vote, which is a miracle, is only a step in the process. If she votes for it in the final vote, when it matters, that will be impressive.
Her voting record is what counts, unfortunately she consistently voted Democrat 95% of the time, during her terms in office. I think Alaska can do better than that. The Republican Party, including Alaska, needs to promote truly conservative candidates who will vote Republican every time. There are plenty of corrupt, Republicans, Independents and Democrats who self enrich, and fail the conservative voters in power/office already.
While I agree with those complaining about deficit spending, the Republicans didn’t do this on their own. The last 4 years the deficit spending has been running unencumbered by worries of deficit spending. So complaining about it now and blaming the Republicans is a little hypocritical at this point. Where were the complainers for the last 4 years when the Democrats were deficit spending the Federal Budget(s) into the multiple trillions? What do we have to show for it?
At this point every one needs to stop the eternal funding of the Democrats with tax payers money. They are so embedded in our financial systems, the clever, ways they siphon money from the Federal Budget and programs, is just downright impressive. But until we can end this process and defund all their financial fingers they have throughout our budget system. It won’t change.
Including the way they label bills they push forward, calling it one thing, but it’s actually another thing, it’s very deceitful and dishonest.
It amazes me too that no one really cares, because if they did, it would have been fixed in the budget(s) for the last 4 years.
Unfortunately the Democrats continue their self enrichment through tax dollars. Odd that nobody identified it, or corrected it. So much for Democrat leadership. Those embedded fossils/leadership are more about self enrichment, eternal tax payer funding of the Democrat party and staying in power.
At this point, Trump is providing leadership and those people in Congress/Senate should step up and assist him. Help by making important and significant changes in the way we do business. Starting with eliminating the fraud waste and abuse that has been identified. Take it a step further, recover those funds! Go after all those people who stole taxpayer money! Including any Congressman, and Senators involved. Require mandatory 5 year jail time, no parole, no reduced sentence, for anybody who received those tax payer funds. The funding of so called non-profits and GEO’s is ridicules. This graft needs to stop!
Frankly I’m also appalled at how the Senate conducts business. The Democrats have it wired so nothing conservative can get through their political and procedural road blocks. The Senate leadership should clean house, and get back to a simple majority voting process. Their swampy behavior should be fixed and abolished immediately.
Holding all of them accountable for their voting record is the only way to fix this problem. Swampy behavior should have consequences.
I also think term limits should be invoked on Judges, Congressman and the Senators. If you can only run two consecutive terms as President, then the same should apply to all of them. Two terms period. Make all terms 4 years for all of them. Keep the every other system for replacement for Congress and the Senate.
Their service should be applied to a standard Federal employment retirement, with the same benefits as any Federal Employee. No more one term and you get a golden retirement pension and above std benefits for life. Same for Judges being appointed for life. Make them a 4 year appointment and a maximum of two consecutive appointments.
I also think all of their pay raises should be voted on by the public. COLA for inflation is fine, but what other job in the world can you vote to increase your own pay and benefits? Their pay raises should match those of a std Federal Employee.
If they or their family self enrich, those funds should be seized and they should loose their benefits/retirement. Including receiving a mandatory minimum jail sentences of 5 years for everyone involved.
Any Congressman, Senator or Judge who displays, promotes, or supports, violent anti-American protest, or behavior in public gatherings, should be held accountable for betraying their office and the public trust. This includes those who are prompting radical Muslim, Marist or Communist ideals against America. Any of this type of behavior, they should be removed from public office, loose all benefits, pay and retirement funds/accounts. They should be held accountable for their treasonous behavior, with mandatory 5 year jail sentence, no parole, no reduced sentences , no early release and no county club prisons, or house arrest.
Corrupt office holders exist because the public allows this. Until the punishment exceeds the benefit the bad behavior will continue.
If any public servant knowingly lies to the public or miss represents information for political or financial gain, they should be held accountable, removed from their office, and punished for their violations of the public trust. Using your position for financial or political gain should have consequences.
From what I’ve seen, if a Democrat opens their mouth, you know they are lying, their mouth moves. You can also tell what they are guilty of, because they accuse the Republicans, for exactly what they are guilty of doing. It’s their go to move. America can do, and deserves better. Dem’s stay in power because they live off of public funds and crypt political practices. It seems to be working for them. Our only recourse is to vote them out!
Sorry, don’t mean to be so preachy. I just get irritated by the swampy behavior of those in power who betray the ideals that America stands for. I truly and deeply love America and it’s people. 😃❤️🇺🇸👍
Steven, I cannot disagree with anything you have to say here!
Excellent and thoughtful comment!
Lisa sells out the Nation for the sake of a few Alaskan baubles. Shame. There is nothing left except partisanship.
AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF THIS.
Why accept a bribe for Alaska and vote YES, causing pain for the entire Nation, when a NO vote would have spared everyone of it altogether? Lisa, your “deer in the headlights” explanation doesn’t hold up. You caved under pressure, and many of us who have always supported you feel betrayed by your action yesterday.
The inducements you were offered gave you just the excuse you needed to do what you wanted all along, and that it to APPEASE the Golden GOP God. Your thinly-veiled excuse is as transparent as that clear Alaskan mountain air that we all love to breathe.
Her SPENDomania overcame her TDS!