The United States Senate approved opening the debate on President Donald Trump's controversial budget, called the "big and beautiful bill," which includes about $4 trillion in tax cuts, after convincing some Republicans who questioned the initiative.

With 51 votes in favor and 49 against, the Senate approved the formal debate on the plan, which is controversial because it includes key elements of Trump's agenda, expands the tax cuts from his first term (2017-2021), increases spending on defense and immigration control, and reduces social programs such as Medicaid and food stamps.

While some Republican senators oppose the cuts to social programs, others warn of the fiscal impact, since the plan approved on May 22 by the House of Representatives would cost the public debt an estimated $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The tax cuts being discussed by the Senate would be equivalent to $4.2 trillion, which would not be offset by reductions to the public budget, as estimated this week by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a nonpartisan civil organization.

Despite beginning the debate, legislators do not expect its final approval until at least the afternoon of Sunday, as Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer forced the Senate to read the entire 940-page bill, with modifications from what was approved by the House.

"I'm going to force this chamber to read it, cover to cover," Schumer said after the official start of the debate.

Furthermore, its final approval is still uncertain because Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats, so they can't lose more than three votes.

Trump intensified his lobbying in the last week to have the Senate approve his controversial 'Big, Beautiful Bill' these days to sign it on July 4, Independence Day.

"The US wants low taxes, including no tax on tips, overtime and social security, interest deductions on cars, border security, a strong military, and a law that is great for our farmers, manufacturers, and overall employment,” he wrote on the Truth Social network this Saturday.

The controversy grew hours before the vote after the release of the 940-page draft now being discussed by the Senate, which includes more cuts than those approved by the House of Representatives, particularly to tax incentives for wind and solar energy, and electric vehicles.

Tycoon Elon Musk accused the Senate of “destroying millions of jobs” by sharing on X a calculation by Jesse Jenkins, a Princeton professor, that the project will “kill” hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in energy and manufacturing, increase pollution, and reduce the ability to compete with China.