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U.S. Senate Republicans pushed President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax cut and spending bill forward on Sunday in a marathon weekend session even as a nonpartisan forecaster said it would add an estimated $3.3 trillion to the nation’s debt over a decade. The estimate by the Congressional Budget Office of the bill’s hit to the $36.2 trillion federal debt is about $800 billion more than the version passed last month in the House of Representatives. Senators are scheduled to start voting on a potentially long list of amendments to the bill beginning at 9 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) Monday. Republicans, who have long voiced concern about growing U.S. deficits and debt, have rejected the CBO’s longstanding methodology to calculate the cost of legislation. Democrats, meanwhile, hope the latest, eye-widening figure could stoke enough anxiety among fiscally minded conservatives to get them to buck their party, which controls both chambers of Congress. Republicans are doing something the Senate has never, never done before, deploying fake math and accounting gimmicks to hide the true cost of the bill,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said as debate opened on Sunday. “Republicans are about to pass the single most expensive bill in U.S. history, to give tax breaks to billionaires while taking away Medicaid, SNAP benefits and good paying jobs for millions of people.” The Senate only narrowly advanced the tax-cut, immigration, border and military spending bill in a procedural vote late on Saturday, voting 5149 to open debate on the 940-page megabill. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of two Republicans who voted to block the bill, explained his position in a speech to the Senate, saying White House aides had failed to give Trump proper advice about the legislation’s Medicaid cuts. “What do I tell 663,00 people in two years, three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding’s not there anymore,” Tillis said, referring to his constituents. Trump on social media hailed Saturday’s vote as a “great victory” for his “great, big, beautiful bill.” In a separate post on Sunday, he said: “We will make it all up, times 10, with GROWTH, more than ever before.” In an illustration of the depths of the divide within the Republican Party over the bill, Tillis said he would not seek re-election next year, after Trump threatened to back a primary challenger in retribution for Tillis’ Saturday night vote against the bill. On Sunday, Trump celebrated Tillis’ announcement as “Great News!” on Truth Social and issued a warning to fellow Republicans who have concerns over the bill. “REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected. Dont go too crazy!” Trump wrote in a post. Tillis’ North Carolina seat is one of the few Republican Senate seats seen as vulnerable in next year’s midterm elections. Trump wants the bill passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday. While that deadline is one of choice, lawmakers will face a far more serious deadline later this summer when they must raise the nation’s self-imposed debt ceiling or risk a devastating default on $36.2 trillion in debt. HITS TO BENEFITS Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said this legislation would come to haunt Republicans if it gets approved, predicting 16 million Americans would lose their health insurance. “Many of my Republican friends know . . . they’re walking the plank on this and we’ll see if those who’ve expressed quiet consternation will actually have the courage of their convictions,” Warner told CBS News’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” The legislation has been the sole focus of a marathon weekend congressional session marked by political drama, division and lengthy delays as Democrats seek to slow the legislation’s path to passage. Schumer called for the entire text of the bill to be read on the Senate floor, a process that began before midnight Saturday and ran well into Sunday afternoon. Following up to 20 hours of debate on the legislation, the Senate will enter an amendment session, known as a “vote-a-rama,” before voting on passage. Lawmakers said they hoped to complete work on the bill on Monday. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, the other Republican “no” vote, opposed the legislation because it would raise the federal borrowing limit by an additional $5 trillion. The megabill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump’s main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Senate Republicans, who reject the CBO’s estimates on the cost of the legislation, are set on using an alternative calculation method that does not factor in costs from extending the 2017 tax cuts. Outside tax experts, like Andrew Lautz from the nonpartisan think tank Bipartisan Policy Center, call it a “magic trick.” Using this calculation method, the Senate Republicans budget bill appears to cost substantially less and seems to save $500 billion, according to the BPC analysis. If the Senate passes the bill, it will then return to the House of Representatives for final passage before Trump can sign it into law. The House passed its version of the bill last month. Bo Erickson and Phil Stewart, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working to pass President Trumps controversial One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A marathon session of voting in the U.S. Senate, known in Washington as a “vote-o-rama,” is expected to begin on Monday, according to CNN. But just what is in the bill, when will it become law, and how do Americans feel about it? Heres what you need to know. Whats in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act? This isnt an easy one to answer simply because the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is so large. In its current form, it spans around 940 pages and is packed with everything from tax breaks for the rich to changes to Medicare to defense spending. Few people have actually read the entire One Big Beautiful Bill Actincluding many of the Senators who are expected to vote on it this week. And thats a bad thing, because when new laws are this sprawling and the changes so sweeping, they often result in unforeseen negative impacts. There are at least hundreds of changes to U.S. law in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, but some of the most dramatic changes revolve around tax cuts for the rich, largely paid for by cuts to Medicaid, the health insurance program designed to provide healthcare to Americas most poor and needy. Citing estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), PBS has a good rundown of some of the major elements of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some of those elements are: $3.8 trillion in tax cuts, with the wealthy and corporations benefiting the most. $350 billion for border and national security spending. Medicaid and other government healthcare and social services cuts would result in 10.9 million Americans losing their health insurance coverage, and 3 million Americans losing their access to food stamps. The elimination of a $200 tax on gun silencers. A provision that would deter individual U.S. states from regulating artificial intelligence. $40 million in funding to establish a National Garden of American Heroes. When will the One Big Beautiful Bill Act become law? There are several remaining steps that the bill needs to go through to become law. Earlier this month, the House passed its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, Senate Republicans disagreed with many elements of the House version of the bill and have been making revisions to it in their chamber. Those revisions are ongoing. Meanwhile, President Trump has also set an arbitrary timeline for when he desired the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to be passed. The deadline Trump stated is Friday, July 4. Yet it is precisely this artificial deadline that has many worrying that lawmakers will not take the time they need to fully examine the bill’s elements and consider the long-term consequences it may have on Americans. Republicans, of course, may still not agree on a new version of the bill, which could mean that Trumps July 4 deadline could come and go. For now, here’s what you may be able to expect as far as a timeline this week, per CNN: Republicans need to get their party holdouts to support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as it currently stands, or make changes to it that will satisfy the holdouts. This process may be completed on Monday, or it could stretch for several days. Meanwhile, Democrats, who all universally oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will have their clerks read out the bill in Congress; this is estimated to take 10 to 15 hours due to the length of the bill and is being used as a stalling tactic. If any Republican Senators stick around for the bills reading, it may be the first time some of them have actually heard what is in the entire 940-page bill. A debate on the bill will follow the Democrats’ reading of the bill. A vote-a-rama will then take place on the bill. This is where Senators vote on amendments to it. A lot of this vote-a-rama will involve political theater, and as CNN notes, Democrats will likely use Republican Senators’ votes during this process in campaign attack ads during the midterm elections next year. Finally, there will be a vote on passing the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. No Democrats are expected to support the bill, and there may even be a few Republican holdouts, but it is believed that Republicans will still have enough votes in the Senate to pass it. However, just because the Senate passes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act doesnt mean it becomes law. The bill would then need to return to the House for a vote. If it passes the House, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would then become law with the president’s signature. As for whether all this can be accomplished by July 4, that remains to be seen. What do Americans think of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Most Americans dont like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including many Republicans and even self-identified MAGA supporters. The nonpartisan nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released the results of its comprehensive polling on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on June 17. Those results showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans viewed the bill unfavorably. When KFF asked Americans if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the results were clear: 64% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act That unfavorability number jumps to 85% of Americans who identify as Democrats Among Independent voters, 71% of Americans view the bill unfavorably But whats really interesting is the view of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act from Americans who identify themselves as Republicans: While KFF found that just 36% of Republicans view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably, that number is massively different depending on whether the Republican identifies themselves as a MAGA supporter or a non-MAGA supporter. Yet even among MAGA supporters, more than a quarter of them27%view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably. And when it comes to non-MAGA Republicans, the numbers are much worse. A full 66% of non-MAGA Republicans view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably. If so many American voters across parties view the One Big Beautiful Bill Act unfavorably, why are Republicans rushing to pass the bill? Thats a question theyll have to answer to their Republican voters during next years Midterm elections.
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E-Commerce
As organizations embed artificial intelligence into business operations, the demands on leaders are changing. Todays teams arent made up of people alonetheyre increasingly hybrid, with humans and AI working side by side. This shift has profound implications on how decisions are made, how roles are defined, and how trust is built. Simply put, as the world changes, leaders need to change, tooand fast. To succeed, leaders must adapt their approachrethinking how they structure teams, develop talent, communicate change, and build cultures of continuous learning. Those who do will unlock new levels of agility and innovation. And those who dont will pay a steep price. Unsure where to start? Here are five essential leadership shifts to make now in order to lead effectively in an era when yesterdays playbook no longer applies. 1. STRUCTURE FOR SHARED INTELLIGENCE, NOT JUST SHARED TASKS Leadership today isnt about controlits about enabling collaboration between people and intelligent systems. As AI agents become more capable and autonomous, leaders must influence human behavior and how AI operates within the team. That means defining when AI leads and when people intervene, ensuring AI decisions are understandable, and creating clear escalation paths. The goal isnt to micromanage AIits to design environments where humans and machines both contribute. By investing in the core operating processes and relational dynamics of team performance, youll turn your AI players into an all-star team. Ask yourself: How can I lead effectively when Im not the onlyor even the smartestagent in the room? 2. RECALIBRATE HOW YOU LEAD WHEN AI JOINS THE TEAM If you want people to engage with AI, you need to treat it as an active tool, not a passive teammate. Start by understanding where agents can add value. Assign AI agents clear roles and embed them into workflows where their strengthsspeed, scale, and pattern recognitionamplify human capability. The real challenge isnt humanizing technologyits humanizing the experience of those working alongside it. That requires that people feel trusted and includednot sidelined or replaced. It means involving them in shaping AI deployment, providing hands-on, practical training, and recognizing their uniquely human strengthslike empathy and creativityas vital to success. AI raises the bar for human critical thinking, decision-making, and accountabilityand thats where true value emerges. Done right, AI becomes a catalyst for confidence, collaboration, and culture. Ask yourself: Am I fully leveraging the complementary strengths of humans and machineswhile keeping the human experience at the center of it all? 3. BUILD YOUR LEADERSHIP MUSCLE The roles and responsibilities of leaders that made their organization successful in the past are different than whats required going forward. Leaders must demonstrate the courage to author an ambition that is less about protecting the past and more about creating the new. With generative AI expected to impact over 40% of working hours, leaders must unleash the confidence of their employees while enabling their accountability, connection, and judgment. Develop employees with self-awareness and relevant experiences to grow into the future leaders you need. Ask yourself: Am I embracing the nature of change as a moment to accelerate my ambition, foster greater connection, and ensure that my people fluency matches my tech fluency? 4. LEAD WITH LISTENING, NOT ASSUMPTIONS AI adoption isnt being held back by fearbut rather by misaligned perceptions between leaders and employees. Accenture research shows that 94% of employees believe they can learn the skills needed to work with AI, yet only 5% of organizations are reskilling their workforce at scale. At the same time, C-suite executives say lack of skills is a large barrier to scaling AI. This isnt just a resourcing gapits a disconnect in how each group perceives the problem. To close the gap, leaders must start with active listening. Explain why AI matters. Offer training thats practical and ongoing. And create space for experimentation, feedback, and learningespecially when it doesnt go perfectly the first time. Ask yourself: Are you investing the time truly required to shape AI strategy through listening and conversation with the people expected to drive it? 5. BECOME AN ARCHITECT OF CONTINUOUS CHANGE AI is accelerating. Your culture needs to evolve just as quickly. Yet, Accenture research shows only 25% of leaders believe their teams are prepared to embrace change. Just 42% of employees feel confident in their ability to keep up. This is not a workforce gapits a leadership opportunity. Start with a narrative that excites others about the possibilities while acknowledging the uncertainties. Embed co-learning into daily work. Encourage safe experimentation. And model the behavior you want to see: When leaders are curious, open to feedback, and transparent about their own journeys, others follow. Ask yourself: Am I creating the right conditions for, and to work with, emergent and iterative transformation? LEAD THE FUTURE BEFORE IT LEADS YOU Leadership in the age of AI isnt about having all the answers. Its about showing up differentlylistening harder, adapting faster, and being brave enough to rewire the workplace. The tools are changing. The core principles are not. Empathy. Trust. Vision. These are still the anchors of great leadership. Whats different now is whereand with whomyou practice them. The future of impactful leadership isnt human or AI. Its human and AIworking better together.
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E-Commerce
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