The United States Senate has narrowly approved a sweeping budget bill that includes a measure to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood for one year.
The legislation, which has become known as the "Big Beautiful Bill", passed by the slimmest of margins. Vice-President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to secure passage through the Senate, after three Republican senators joined the opposition to the Bill, which included all Democrats.
The Bill had initially aimed to block Planned Parenthood’s federal funding for a decade; however, the Senate's parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, intervened. She found that the long-term defunding provision violated budget reconciliation rules, prompting Republicans to revise the bill’s language and shorten the ban to one year. After these changes, the Parliamentarian allowed the Planned Parenthood measure to remain in the package, clearing the way for a final Senate vote.
