[199] After lengthy debate, the bill passed the House by a considerable margin.[200] The bill proposed moderate downward revisions in the tariff, especially on raw materials.[201] The shortfall in revenue was to be made up by an income tax of two percent on income above $4,000 (equivalent to $120,637 in 2021).[201]
The bill was next considered in the Senate, where it faced stronger opposition from key Democrats led by Arthur Pue Gorman of Maryland, who insisted on more protection for their states' industries than the Wilson bill allowed.[202] The bill passed the Senate with more than 600 amendments attached that nullified most of the reforms.[203] The Sugar Trust in particular lobbied for changes that favored it at the expense of the consumer.[204] Cleveland was outraged with the final bill, and denounced it as a disgraceful product of the control of the Senate by trusts and business interests.[205] Even so, he believed it was an improvement over the McKinley tariff and allowed it to become law without his signature.