Senate Republicans will force Democrats to vote on a range of potentially uncomfortable topics in the coming days, using the rules of the budget conciliation process that Democrats use to advance President Biden’s coronavirus stimulus plan while they ‘ get a filibuster.
The debate on the budget resolution, which began on Wednesday, will continue in the Senate on Thursday. After the time expires – John Thune, minority whip of the Senate, RS.D. predicts that this will happen shortly after lunch – a process called vote-a-rama begins.
During that time, any senator is entitled to submit an amendment to the resolution, which could result in dozens of votes on the various provisions until late at night and even early until Friday morning.
Republicans are strongly opposed to Democrats using reconciliation to promote the coronavirus stimulus, and so they plan to use the vote-a-rama as a way to punish Democrats and fetch a pound of meat through them to to force awkward voices.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., Walks on Senate Floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, January 25, 2021. (AP Photo / Susan Walsh)
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“The new president talks a lot about unity, but his White House and congressional leadership staff work from the opposite playbook,” Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Said of the budget reconciliation process. “We will discuss the facts … Senate Republicans will be ready and waiting with a whole host of amendments to improve the rushed procedural step that is messed up.”
He added: “We will keep senators on record as to whether taxpayers should fund checks for illegal immigrants … or Democrats should raise taxes on small businesses in the midst of this historic crisis … and whether generous federal funding in school districts should shower the unions refuse to let schools open.And that’s just a small taste.
In fact, minutes after McConnell’s floor speech, sen Josh Hawley. R-Mo., Has submitted an amendment that would oppose federal funding of schools that do not get children back into the classroom.
“Despite overwhelming evidence that schools can reopen safely, partisan advocates are using children’s education as a baton to advance their radical agenda,” Hawley said in a statement accompanying the amendment. “The impact on children and working class families has been absolutely devastating. The federal government must put an end to this two-tier education system for the haves and those who do not, by encouraging schools to reopen safely.”
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Has meanwhile announced that he is leading seven amendments to the reconciliation process and three co-sponsors.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) listens as Judge Amy Coney Barrett testifies before the Senate’s High Court on the second day of her confirmation hearing in Capitol Hill High Court on October 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. Hawley said Wednesday he is introducing an amendment to shift government funding for school districts that do not get children into the classroom. (Anna Moneymaker-Pool / Getty Images)
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Among them are amendments seeking to reverse the president’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL oil pipeline; resumption of oil and gas leasing in federal lands; to stop any tax increases while the pandemic is still going on; prevents the US government from using taxpayers’ money to implement the Paris climate agreement; and more.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Meanwhile, said in a release that he would introduce amendments to support funding for the U.S. nuclear weapons program; is opposed to taxpayers being used for abortion internationally and at domestic non-profit organizations; oppose illegal immigrants using government-supported health options; and support to keep the number of judges of the Supreme Court at nine.
“Republicans like to work with Democrats to provide COVID-19 relief to the American people, but we can and will not support a bill that diverts funds to long-term democratic priorities,” Cotton said. “My amendments are aimed at ensuring that the American people – not the Senate Democrats’ left-wing policies – are protected.”
Not all the amendments submitted will get a full vote during the vote-a-rama. And some may fall away from the so-called Byrd rule – a rule that says anything transferred during budget reconciliation has to do with the federal budget in some way.
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But the wide range of amendments the Republican senators said they would introduce Wednesday indicate they intend to make the budget reconciliation process as painful for Democrats as possible. Republicans have decided to call for reconciliation as a partisan gamble to prevent them from working with the coronavirus relief.
The reopening of schools is probably one of the most popular topics during the reconciliation debate, which the Republicans apparently decided to be a winning issue for them. Not only did McConnell devote most of his speech Wednesday to criticizing Democrats and unions over the slow reopening of schools, but Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also gave a speech on the issue.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of NY takes the elevator in the U.S. Capitol, Friday, January 22, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The White House reiterated to Fox News on Tuesday that it was committed to fulfilling its promise to have children in Biden’s classroom in the first 100 days, despite the fact that union pressure delayed the effort in the first few weeks. .
Democrats, meanwhile, have accused Republicans of withholding money that could go to schools to help them open up in person, as well as money for local governments and other sectors of the economy that they say are badly needed.
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“A safe learning environment also means personal protective equipment,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Said. “Obstacles as we see in restaurants and other public places – plexiglass and other types of distributors. And this kind of essential equipment is why we are advocating $ 130 billion for our schools.”
Republicans say a lot of federal money has been spent to help reopen schools and that it is just ‘moving the goalposts’. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DNY, told the Senate on Wednesday that more needs to be done.
“The $ 1.9 billion budget resolution is designed to meet the needs of a country devastated by disease and recession for almost a year,” he said. “Secretary Yellen told the Democratic caucus yesterday that it is her conviction that if Congress does not devote the necessary resources to meet the needs of the American people and survive this crisis, we will see long-term scars in our economy, and our country will be trapped in the COVID crisis for years to come. ‘
Fox Donnus’ Jason Donner contributed to this report.