GOP strategists seemed to understand the buzzkilling buzzsaw they were marching toward with a grim sense of inevitability. Even then, there was still no guarantee the House would accept the Senate’s rewrite of their work.

After a late shift by Senator Lisa Murkowski to yes, the legislation now returns to the House, where its passage remains far from certain.

Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in the evenly split 50-50 chamber, securing the bill's Senate passage.