McCormick says Trump policy bill good for Pa.; Fetterman opposes Medicaid, SNAP cuts, more debt

President Donald Trump’s domestic policy package passed the Senate by the slimmest of margins Tuesday, with Pennsylvania’s two senators voting along party lines as expected.

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, joined 49 other Republicans in supporting Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill.

Three GOP senators — U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky — opposed the bill, as did U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and the chamber’s 44 other Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats.

Vice President JD Vance, in his role as president of the Senate, broke the 50-50 tie to send the legislation back to the U.S. House.

“I am proud to support this bill because it would deliver continued tax relief to millions of Pennsylvania families and prevent the largest tax increase in American history,” McCormick said in a statement after the vote. “This bill also delivers on many of the promises that both President Trump and I made — to secure our nation’s border and bolster our national defense to keep Americans safe, and to unleash American energy potential and lower costs for consumers.

“No bill is perfect, but these provisions will make a real difference in the lives of people working hard to make ends meet and raise their families across the commonwealth,” McCormick added. “I also believe that the historic investments in the border, law enforcement and defense will benefit all Pennsylvanians in the coming years, as will the important provisions that will unleash Pennsylvania energy.”

Fetterman has maintained for some time that he would vote against the bill, saying he could not support legislation that included steep cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and would add trillions to the national debt over the next decade.

“This bill is a disaster, which is why I voted HELL NO,” Fetterman said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote.

“I’ll keep fighting to protect health care, defend nutrition assistance, block giveaways for billionaires and prevent trillions more added to our national debt,” Fetterman added. “This bill is now in the hands of my colleagues in the House, where hopefully a handful of Republicans will put their constituents before campaign donors and shut this down.”

The House is returning Wednesday morning, and Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated after the Senate vote that Republicans are “ready to finish the job.”

The House had approved an earlier version of the bill in late May with only one vote to spare. In the 215-214 vote, two Republicans voted against the bill and another Republican voted “present.” Now, the House will be voting on the version amended by the Senate.

It could be a difficult vote for some of the GOP’s fiscal hawks, specifically because it is projected to increase federal deficits by $3.3 trillion — nearly $1 trillion more than the House-passed bill.

Members of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation voted along party lines when the House took up the bill last month, with U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, and Mike Kelly, R-Butler, supporting it and U.S. Reps. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, and Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, opposing it.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.