U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) walks after the Senate passes U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is being bashed for "swamp-style politics" after voting in support of President Donald Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill."
The Senate was split 50-50 on the measure, handing Vice President JD Vance the tie-breaking vote on the budget bill that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warned would remove healthcare for 11.8 million Americans over the next ten years.
It now goes back to the House.
Speaking to MSNBC after the vote, former Republican Party spokesman Tim Miller recalled the moment when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) cast the deciding vote to stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Murkowski, he said, had the opportunity to be that person, but caved.
"They passed this on a less-than-party-line vote with just Republicans, 50 Republicans, and JD Vance breaking the tie," said Miller. "And they needed Lisa Murkowski, who is, you know, maybe the one or two most moderate members of the conference. It's hard to see — it's hard to kind of wrap your head around. Like, how Murkowski could support the broad elements of the bill, additional funding for ICE, huge increases to the deficit, you know, tax cuts that are going disproportionately to help people at the top end of the income scale. Not too many of those in Alaska."
"She does it, I think, because Alaska gets some of these carve-outs, kind of old school swamp style politics, if you will, and kind of relationships with the Senate Republican leadership. So, to me, I think that's the most striking thing that happened. Like this thing was on the cusp of being defeated, but one of the so-called moderates in the Senate cast the deciding vote."
Even Republican Senators agreed that the bill wasn't great, and Miller was confused why they'd support it.
"My hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we're not there yet," Murkowski told reporters off the Senate floor after the vote.
But Miller said that despite opposition from House Republicans, he thinks they'll fall in line, because they always have in the past.
"I think the idea that the more conservative parts of the conference are going to buck President Trump on his one big agenda item of the year, I find far-fetched. I'd love to be surprised by that," Miller continued.
"What confuses me is how it's gotten back to the House and why it was Lisa Murkowski," Miller said, reading the senator's statement. "She wants the House to continue to amend this and have it come back in conference. Why did they vote for this? Why did they rush this through overnight?"
"If you're Lisa Murkowski and you don't think that this is a good bill, why vote for it? I just think it shows you that, like, that inertia and a desire to extend the Trump tax cuts, and pressure from President Trump has made a lot of Republicans go along with something that they know is flawed," Miller closed.
See the clip below or at the link here.