Shortly before midnight, the Senate quickly began to address various amendments. The votes were mostly on Republican proposals that would almost certainly fail, but were aimed at forcing Democrats to cast politically uncomfortable votes. It was unclear how long the “vote-a-rama” would last over the weekend.
More significantly, the deal with Unemployment Benefits suggested it was only a matter of time before the Senate passed the bill. This will send it back to the House, which is expected to give final congressional approval and submit it to Biden for his signature.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden supported the compromise on unemployed payments.
Friday’s long-standing stance highlights the headaches faced by party leaders over the next two years – and the tensions between progressives and centrists – as they try to move their agenda through Congress with their slim majorities.
Manchin is arguably the most conservative Democrat in the House, and a kingmaker in the 50-50 Senate. But the party cannot tilt the center too far to win Manchin’s vote without jeopardizing progressive support in the House, where they have only a ten-vote lead.
Supporting unemployed Americans is a top Democratic priority. But it is also a problem that drives a wedge between progressives who want to help unemployed voters tackle the gloomy economy, and Manchin and other moderates who want to reduce the cost of the bill.
Biden noted that the job report on Friday showed that employers had added 379,000 employees – an unexpectedly strong performance. It is still small compared to the ten million fewer jobs since the pandemic a year ago.
“Without a rescue plan, these gains are going to slow down,” Biden said. “We can not afford one step forward and two steps back. We need to fight the virus, provide essential relief and build an inclusive recovery. ‘
The overall bill faces a solid wall of GOP opposition, and Republicans are using the impasse for unemployment to accuse Biden of refusing to compromise with them.
“You can pick up the phone and end it now,” said sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., said about Biden.
But in an encouraging sign for Biden, a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 70% of Americans support its handling of the pandemic, including a significant 44% of Republicans.
The House last weekend approved a legal aid bill that includes $ 400 weekly unemployment benefits – in addition to regular government payments – through August. Manchin hoped to cut costs, claiming the level of pay would discourage people from returning to work, a reason most Democrats and many economists reject.
When the day began, Democrats claimed they had reached a compromise between party moderates and progressives that extended their unemployment benefits to $ 300 weekly until early October.
The plan, sponsored by Senator Tom Carper, D-Del., Also includes tax cuts on some unemployment benefits. Without it, many Americans who are suddenly thrown out of their jobs will face unexpected tax bills.
But by noon, lawmakers said Manchin was ready to support a less generous Republican version. This led to hours of talks involving White House staffers, top Senate Democrats and Manchin, while the party tried to find a way to save its package for unemployment assistance.
The compromise announced Friday night will yield $ 300 weekly, with the final check payable on September 6, and include the tax break on benefits.
During the ‘vote-a-rama’, the Senate approved an amendment by Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, that would extend the benefit of $ 300 unemployment insurance until July 18. But Portman’s victory was short-lived and the proposal was canceled when the House passed the Democrats’ unemployment insurance proposal.
Before the drama about unemployment benefits began, senators voted 58-42 to kill a thriving top priority, a gradual increase in the current minimum wage from $ 7.25 per hour to $ 15 over five years.
Eight Democrats voted against the proposal, suggesting that Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., And other progressives who promise to continue in the coming months will wage a tough fight.
Voting began shortly after 11 a.m. EST and was only formally brought to an end almost 12 hours later when the Senate’s workplace came to a standstill amid negotiations on unemployment benefits.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the Democrats and called their day-long effort to work out the unemployment amendment a “spectacle.”
“What it proves is that there are benefits to two parties if you deal with an issue of this magnitude,” McConnell said.
Republicans have criticized the overall relief bill as a liberal spending festival that ignores the growing number of vaccinations and signs of a moving economy indicating that the twin crises are easing.
“Democrats have inherited a tide that has already turned.” McConnell said.
Democrats reject it and name the job losses and many people are still struggling to buy food and pay rent.
“If you just look at a large number, you say, ‘Oh, everything’s getting a little better,'” Chuck Schumer, leader of Senate Majority, DN.Y. “It’s not for the lower half of America. It is not. “
Friday’s network lockdown on unemployment benefits was not the first delay in the emergency relief package. On Thursday, Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Forced the clerks of the chamber to read out the entire 628-page emergency relief bill, an exhausting task that took staff 10 hours and 44 minutes and ended shortly after 2 p.m. has.
Democrats made many other late amendments to the bill, aimed at sharpening support. It ranged from extra money for food programs and federal health care subsidies for workers losing jobs to rural health and language funds that ensure the minimum amounts of money for smaller states.
In another late bargain that satisfied moderates, Biden and the Senate Democrats on Wednesday agreed that some higher-income earners would not be eligible for direct control of individuals.
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Associated Press staff writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.