WASHINGTON – Three Republican senators voted against President Donald Trump’s package of tax reductions and Medicaid cuts, forcing Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the bill.
GOP Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine voted against the package of Trump’s priorities.
Paul and Tillis had each voted against even debating the bill. Paul called for greater spending cuts. Tillis said the bill would cost his state $26 billion in Medicaid funding, breaking a federal promise of health care to low-income people.
Collins had voted to debate the bill but opposed its approval primarily because of Medicaid cuts. She said one-third of her state – 400,000 people – depend on Medicaid and the bill would hurt rural healthcare providers and nursing homes.
“The Medicaid program has been an important health care safety net for nearly 60 years that has helped people in difficult financial circumstances, including people with disabilities, children, seniors, and low-income families,” Collins said.
She also cited concerns about phasing out tax credits for renewable energy providers. She said the bill should have kept incentives for families that choose to install heat pumps and residential solar panels.
“This bill has additional problems,” Collins said.
Trump blasted Tillis for opposing the legislation and threatened to find Republican primary opponent to challenge him in 2026. But Tillis announced the day after his vote June 28 against debating the measure that he wouldn’t seek reelection.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which Senate Republicans voted against Trump’s legislative package?
