Down To The Wire: Can Congress Meet Trump’s July 4 Deadline For The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill?’

Lawmakers in the GOP-led Congress are racing to pass the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” in order to get it to President Donald Trump’s desk by his July 4 deadline — Friday. Can it be done? Yes, but the timeline is extremely tight.

The legislation, which spans more than 900 pages, aims to fulfill many of Trump’s spending and tax-cut goals for his second term. While it did narrowly pass out of the House in late May, provisions in the bill have undergone a makeover, in part because the Senate parliamentarian ruled that certain sections flagged by Democrats violated the Byrd Rule, which demands they stay focused on the budget.

Republican senators worked through the weekend to get the bill close to the finish line. They voted to begin consideration of the legislation before Democrats asked the clerks to read the entire package, which took roughly 16 hours. By Monday afternoon, senators were in the midst of a “vote-a-rama” for amendments that might last all day. A final vote could happen sometime before or after midnight.

With the expectation that the Senate manages to pass the bill — an outcome that would require only a simple majority because it is being considered through the budget reconciliation process that allows the upper chamber to bypass the filibuster — the House is gearing up to do its part.

House Rules Committee members were reportedly advised to prepare for a noon meeting on Tuesday. If the panel is able to pass a rule for consideration of the bill, the full House will come into play. However, there will likely not be a quick final vote. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said last week that he would honor the customary 72 hours to allow members three days to review the text of the legislation. He also conceded that it is “possible” the bill’s timeline may slide past July 4.

Ultimately, the process could come down to a Friday showdown on the House floor. The bill’s fate is unclear as negotiations were still underway as of press time. Any last-minute changes threaten to add more time as they would need to be approved by both chambers of Congress.

Trump sounded optimistic overnight, saying in a post on Truth Social, “ONE GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, is moving along nicely! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”