All eyes on the House as Senate pushes Trump’s megabill toward the finish line
With Senate debate underway and vote-a-rama looming, House Republicans brace for a rushed return—and rising pressure to swallow the Senate’s version of Trump’s top legislative priority.
First Things First
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Welcome to the paid-only Sunday bonus edition of Congress Nerd, Once Upon a Hill’s flagship weekly newsletter previewing the biggest stories in Congress at the intersection of national politics, domestic policy and the Democratic resistance to Trump 2.0. Did you do anything cool this weekend? Reply to this email and let me live vicariously through you.
The Senate is back in session and Republicans are in a mad dash to pass the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda: A sweeping, deficit-exploding megabill to cut taxes, roll back Biden-era economic and climate policies, shrink social programs and expand oil and gas production.
As I’ve mentioned before, federal budget law allows Senate Republicans to pass the bill with a simple majority, which means Democrats can’t block final passage. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his caucus are pulling out every procedural stop to slow things down and make the process as politically painful as possible.
Still, with Trump fully engaged—and making clear at every turn that he expects the bill on his desk by week’s end—and too few GOP senators pressing for a better product, it’s starting to feel more like a question of when, not if, this bill crosses the finish line. Then again, maybe the spirit of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will convince one or two Republicans to choose country over party.
In tonight’s edition, I’ll get you up to speed on where things stand, what’s next in the upper chamber, and the weekend drama that left Trump’s signature legislation teetering on the brink for hours.
But let’s start with the two pieces of political news Democrats got this weekend that could shake up 2026.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) is not expected to seek re-election in Nebraska’s 2nd District—a rare blue dot in a deep-red state that Joe Biden carried in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024—giving Democrats a prime pickup opportunity. And Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who bucked Trump by voting against advancing the megabill and announced he’ll oppose final passage, said he won’t run for re-election next year, setting up a high-stakes open race in a battleground state that Democrats are expected aggressively seek to flip (more on Tillis below).
Now, back to the Senate proceedings.