Dems delay ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’s’ passage by reading the whole damn thing out loud: ‘Americans deserve to hear exactly what’s in this monstrosity’

Spanning a massive 940 pages, the bill lays out an ambitious suite of Republican legislative priorities, including $3.8 trillion in proposed tax cuts and expenditures.

However, independent budget analysts warn that the legislation could swell the national debt by as much as $4.5 trillion over the next decade.

The GOP has imposed a self-declared deadline of July 4 to pass the bill through the Senate, aiming to present the package as a signature legislative victory. Yet that timeline has been thrown into uncertainty after Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced a procedural maneuver that could delay proceedings significantly.

Schumer informed Democratic colleagues on Saturday that he would invoke Senate rules to require the bill be read aloud in its entirety on the Senate floor.

The dramatic move—rarely used in modern times—is expected to consume at least 15 hours and is seen as a strategic effort to slow the bill’s momentum while drawing public attention to its controversial provisions.

“Schumer believes Americans deserve to hear exactly what’s in this monstrosity: permanent tax breaks for billionaires, millions of Americans losing health care and food assistance, giveaways to fossil fuel companies, and land sales to the highest bidder—all paid for by working families,” a source close to Democratic leadership told Politico.

15 hours might sound like a long time but not enough, as it is likely lawmakers will only be getting a skimmed version of the megabill that is set to have weighty consequences for the future of America.

While Senate clerks are technically always available to read bills aloud, the option is almost universally waived by lawmakers for efficiency. Schumer’s decision signals the gravity with which Democrats view the legislation—and their belief that public exposure to its contents may sway opinion.

Despite the Republican push to expedite its passage, the bill has already triggered unease within the GOP ranks.

The House narrowly approved the measure by a single vote, and in the Senate, Republicans cannot afford to lose more than three votes. Currently, at least three Republican senators have expressed reservations, with Senator Rand Paul emerging as the bill’s most outspoken critic.

Ironically, Paul was seen golfing with President Trump on Saturday morning, just hours before Schumer’s announcement.

Concerns are growing not only over the bill’s fiscal implications but also its opaque drafting process. Reports suggest that many lawmakers did not fully review the bill before supporting it.

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Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, admitted in a surprising moment of candor that she voted in favor of the bill without understanding its contents. “Full transparency—I did not know what was in it,” Greene said, expressing regret after the bill’s passage in the House.

Even Trump himself appears to have been caught off guard by some of the bill’s provisions. In a characteristically emphatic social media post written in all caps, the president declared that he “HATES” the “GREEN TAX CREDITS” embedded within the legislation.

Critics have described the OBBB as a trojan horse loaded with ideological rewards for Republican lawmakers and corporate interests, warning of its potential to erode democratic norms and harm working-class Americans.

One Democratic senator called the bill a “murder-suicide pact” between Republicans and the public—an extreme metaphor that stresses the intensity of the debate.

Whether Schumer’s reading tactic will galvanize opposition or alter the trajectory of the bill remains to be seen. But with the July 4 deadline looming, the battle over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is shaping up to be one of the most contentious legislative fights of the year.