US Politics
Heckler shouts over Senate debate on Trump’s ‘beautiful’ megabill: ‘You people are awful’
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A heckler interrupted a Senate debate on President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, yelling out “you people are awful”.
Representatives were holding a heated debate Sunday night that discussed Trump’s megabill, which proposes tax cuts, new Medicaid requirements, and SALT tax deductions, in a bid to inject cash into Trump’s rigorous immigration agenda and revised military budget.
The unidentified interrupter burst onto the Senate floor just after 7 p.m., just as Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders had concluded his speech opposing the bill.
“This bill is not what the American people want, and I hope very much we can defeat it,” Sanders was heard saying in his concluding speech moments before. “Thank you very much.” Sanders has branded the bill “probably the worst piece of legislation in modern history,” claiming “it attacks the most vulnerable people while giving massive tax breaks to billionaires.”
Just as he finished, a livestream of the debate caught a muffled voice in the background.
“You people are awful,” the heckler yelled. “You’re awful. You’re awful.”
Presiding officer Sen. Dave McCormick quickly interjected and told the sergeant at arms to “restore order in the gallery.”
However, the heckler continued to yell out as officials raced to restore calm.
The protester was then heard saying, “You’re horrible,” just before the chamber returned to silence. The heckler has yet to be identified.
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The 940 page megabill has been redrafted several times. On Saturday, Republicans narrowly voted 51-49 to advance it despite the opposition of two GOP lawmakers.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told Democratic senators Saturday he would demand a full reading of the megabill on the Senate floor once Republicans vote to proceed to the legislation. The act could take hours and delay a final passage of President Trump’s agenda by half a day, at least.
“Republicans won’t tell America what’s in the bill. So Democrats are forcing it to be read start to finish on the floor,” Schumer said Saturday.
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Meanwhile, Trump’s former “first buddy” Elon Musk branded the bill as “utterly insane and destructive” in a post on X ahead of the vote.
Trump placed a 4 July deadline for representatives to pass the bill. Following the narrow victory Saturday, he took to Truth Social to declare “a GREAT VICTORY in the Senate with the ‘GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL.”
