Dems Eye Senate tool to pass COVID bill
Special Report anchor Bret Baier breaks down new COVID bill, the ethics of the White House press briefing, Vice President Kamala Harris’s mistake in West Virginia, and more on America Reports.
The “vote-a-rama” in the Senate that began at about 2:30 p.m. on Thursday ended shortly before 6 a.m. Friday after a marathon trial in which Republicans forced Democrats to vote for more than 15 hours on tough issues.
The Senate passed a budget resolution for coronavirus control 51-50, with Vice President Harris casting the casting vote. It’s not a final bill, but allows the Senate to advance to a final bill under the budget reconciliation rules, which would allow Democrats to approve a coronavirus incentive plan by going around a GOP filibuster, as long as their caucus remains unified.
The House is expected to go over the “simultaneous” budget resolution later Friday.
Senate Republicans used a senate process that allows them to propose a plethora of amendments to the budget resolution, forcing senators to take a stand on a number of issues.
REPUBLICANS PUT DEMOCRATS ON THE SPOT AGAINST INCENTIVE CONTROLS, TAXES IN MARATHON ‘VOTE-A-RAMA’
“I am so grateful that our caucus has stayed together in unity. We had no choice given the challenges America faced and the desire to move forward. And we have made progress,” said Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y .,. “A lot of bipartisan amendments have been passed, so this was a twofold activity.”
He added, “We cannot underline enough how much help America needs during this terrible crisis and we cannot miss the point that we still have a long way to go. This was a gigantic first step … to get America back. to overcome this terrible crisis and then help America move forward. “
Although some GOP amendments were passed, the final vote was passed along party lines.
Among the issues Republicans were forced to vote on were attempts to support the Trump administration’s policies in Mexico, opposing President Biden’s blocking of the Keystone XL pipeline, banning fracking, opposing the raising the federal minimum wage during the pandemic and more. .
A final Democratic amendment proposed by Schumer reversed three amendments proposed by the GOP that had been passed with a two-part majority on fracking, the Keystone XL pipeline, and opposing incentive controls for illegal immigrants. Harris cast the casting vote on that too.
The Senate received a total of 41 votes between Thursday and Friday.
Senate Minster Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Previously indicated that Republicans would continue the process with the aim of taking a pound of meat from Democrats in uncomfortable votes.
“We are going to list senators,” he said on Thursday. Expect votes to dissuade Washington from actively cutting jobs during a recovery – such as ending the Keystone pipeline; that groundbreaking, one-size-fits-all minimum wage hike; and whether small business tax increases for the duration of this emergency. . ”
He had also previously said that Republicans would table amendments about incentive controls for illegal immigrants, federal funding for school districts that don’t have children in classrooms, and more.
In other amendments during the a-rama vote, the Senate voted 97-3 to keep the US Embassy in Israel in Jerusalem; 50-50 about a failed change to support the border wall; 50-50 on a failed amendment to support the free exercise of religion; 100-0 to oppose the removal of the police force; 50-50 on a failed change to oppose the Supreme Court packing; 50-50 on a failed amendment against incentive controls for people in prison; 50-50 on a failed amendment opposing the Biden government’s move to restrict oil and gas leasing on federal lands; 50-50 on a failed amendment to a federal carbon tax; 53-47 for an amendment to support the expansion of health savings accounts; and more.
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Schumer on Thursday criticized Republicans for planning “messaging changes” to “score political points.”
“What changes our minority friends propose is entirely up to them,” said Schumer. He added that he hopes Republicans “don’t use the pandemic relief debate to hone … partisan talking points.”
Schumer continued, “If there are good faith amendments from the other end, we look forward to it.”