Washington – The Senate approved that of President Biden $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, more than 24 hours after the opening of the debate on the bill. A grueling amendment process, known as a “vote-a-rama,” stalled for nearly 12 hours Friday over disagreements within the Democratic caucus over unemployment insurance benefits.
The final vote was 50-49, with all Democrats voting in favor of the bill and all Republicans voting against. The bill’s adoption was met with cheers and applause from the Democrats, celebrating the passage of one of Mr. Biden’s top priorities. Vice President Kamala Harris did not have to visit the Capitol to cut ties, as GOP Senator Dan Sullivan left Friday due to a family emergency.
Democrats took a victory round after the bill passed, with Senate leader Chuck Schumer telling reporters after the vote that “it’s a great day for this country.” Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Committee on Budgets, called the bill “the most important piece of legislation for working families in the modern history of this country.”
President Biden called the plan “historic” in a speech on Saturday.
“For over a year, the American people have been told they were on their own,” he said, later adding, “This nation has suffered far too long, and everything in this package is designed to make it happen. to relieve suffering and to meet the nation’s most urgent needs. “
The president noted that 85% of American households will now soon receive direct payments of $ 1,400 per person, and a “typical middle-class family of four” will receive $ 5,600. “That means the mortgage can be paid. That means you have to keep the health insurance that you have. It will make a big difference in so many lives in this country,” he said.
Senator Debbie Stabenow said the bill’s passing was an emotional moment for Democrats.
“People on the floor, in our caucus, it was almost like tears in their eyes. I mean, I felt it,” Stabenow said.
The House will vote on the amended legislation on Tuesday, after the House passed a slightly different version of the bill last week. If approved by the House, it will go to Mr Biden’s office for his signature. Schumer expressed his confidence that the Senate version of the bill would be passed in the House of Representatives.
“They feel like we are doing that, we have to get this done,” he said.
Emergency economic relief legislation is popular in general, and recent polls show that a majority of Americans support it, particularly the provision that provides for $ 1,400 in direct checks to earners earning less than $ 75,000. Senate Democrats reached an agreement limit eligibility for those who receive direct checks earlier this week. Other provisions in the bill include an additional $ 300 weekly allowance through Sept. 6, child support of up to $ 3,600 per family, $ 350 billion in aid to state and local governments, and $ 14 billion for vaccine distribution.
Mr. Biden thanked the American people for their “overwhelming bipartisan support” of the package, without which “this would not have happened,” he said.
The final vote came after a laborious “vote-a-rama” in which the Senate debated, considered and voted 39 amendments over a 25-hour period. The trial was initially delayed by a standoff involving Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate from West Virginia, who has become a critical player in the equally divided Senate.
On Friday evening, Senate Democrats reached an agreement that was accepted by Manchin after he had an extensive meeting with Schumer. The Compromise Amendment extended supplemental unemployment insurance benefits through September 6, renders the first $ 10,200 in unemployment insurance benefits non-taxable to households with incomes below $ 150,000, and extends tax rules related to the limitation of excess business losses through 2026.
The compromise amendment was approved by a vote of 50 to 49 shortly after 1 am. It was almost identical to an amendment proposed as part of an agreement reached Friday morning by progressives and moderates, the only change being the income limit for the non-taxable benefits.
Mr Biden emphasized during his speech on Saturday that the deal provided aid to the 11 million Americans who lost jobs as a result of the pandemic – and whose benefits were “about to expire,” he said.
Manchin has taken on a powerful role in the caucus as he is one of the deciding votes in an equally divided senate. Democrats have 50 seats, which means there is no room for dissent in the ranks: if you lose the support of one senator, you lose the unopposed vote. Earlier on Friday, Manchin seemed inclined to back an amendment introduced by GOP Senator Rob Portman that would have cut unemployment insurance benefits from $ 400 to $ 300 and only extended it through June.
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The “vote-a-rama” initially began on Friday morning with an unsuccessful vote on an amendment proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders that would have raised the federal minimum wage. But the vote remained open even after all the senators voted, leaving the next amendment out of consideration and allowing the Democrats to work behind the scenes to convince Manchin to support their unemployment insurance change.
After nearly 12 hours, the vote on Sanders’ amendment closed shortly before 11 p.m., making it the longest vote in modern Senate history. The “vote-a-rama” was then resumed shortly before midnight with a vote on Portman’s unemployment benefit change, passed 50 to 49, with the support of Manchin. However, that amendment is overturned by the Democratic amendment, which was voted on a few hours later and which was also supported by Manchin. This compromise amendment will be included in the final proposal.
Manchin acknowledged to reporters after the final vote on the bill on Saturday afternoon that the negotiations “took longer than they should”, but expressed satisfaction with the final bill.
“We got it done and we got a better deal,” said Manchin.
The Senate met with a two-hour debate Friday morning, followed by a vote on Sanders’ amendment that would have raised the untapped minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2025, and the tipped minimum wage to $ 14.75 over seven years. The Senate MP ruled last week that the Senate could not include a provision to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 under budget reconciliation rules, so GOP Senator Lindsey Graham brought a point of order against the amendment.
Manchin, as well as Democratic Senators Jon Tester, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Chris Coons, Tom Carper and Maggie Hassan, joined the Republicans to vote against the inclusion of the facility. Senator Angus King, an independent who consults with the Democrats, also voted against adding the minimum wage hike to the bill. Manchin and Sinema, in particular, had previously expressed opposition to raising the minimum wage to $ 15.
Congress uses the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill, limiting time for debate and allowing legislation to be passed by simple majority, a temporary solution that avoids the 60-vote threshold most bills require to pass. go into the Senate. If every Democrat backs the latest bill, it would pass without any Republican backing.
But Republicans are critical of the scope of the bill and frustrated that Democrats are using the reconciliation process, arguing that they are taking a partisan route rather than working down the aisle. Democrats answer that they don’t need to waste time negotiating with Republicans to get to the 60-vote threshold and approve a smaller package.
In retaliation, Republican senators wanted to make the change process politically painful for the Democrats, with mixed results. One such vote was an amendment to prevent undocumented immigrants from getting incentive checks. During the “vote-a-rama” last month on the budget resolution to kick-start the reconciliation process, eight Democrats joined all Republicans and voted in favor of the amendment, infuriating progressives. However, when the Senate voted on the amendment on Saturday morning, it failed without any democratic backing.
The Senate voted two amendments, one on veteran education and one on helping homeless children. Proposed by GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski and Manchin, the latest change will spend $ 800 billion on education funding specifically for homeless children. The last amendment considered during the “vote-a-rama” was a two-tier amendment sponsored by GOP Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Mark Warner, extending protections for federal contractors through September 30.
The Senate version of the bill differs on a number of points from the House bill, including the amendments that were passed on Friday and Saturday. Some recently added measures, according to a Senate Democratic assistant, include $ 510 million for FEMA and $ 750 million for states and communities facing job and revenue losses in the tourism, travel and outdoor recreation sectors. Another provision sets aside funding for education, including $ 1.25 billion for evidence-based summer enrichment, $ 1.25 billion for after-school programs, and $ 3 billion for education technology. It would also make the COVID-19 student loan reduction tax-free.
A vote on the motion to continue the legislative debate led to a vote on the party line on Thursday afternoon, with Harris breaking the 50-50 tie. While budget reconciliation rules allow up to 8pm of debate ahead of the “vote-a-rama,” Republicans and Democrats used only two, after GOP Senator Ron Johnson forced the Senate Clerk to review the entire bill on Thursday night read aloud. The trial lasted nearly 11 hours and ended early Friday morning. The Senate agreed to meet later Friday morning for a debate of up to three hours, but any time saved by limiting debate time was quickly lost with the nearly 12-hour delay over the unemployment insurance change .
“The bottom line is this: this plan sets us on the path to defeat this virus,” Mr. Biden said Saturday. “This plan gives the struggling families the help and breathing space they need to get through this moment. This plan gives small businesses in this country a chance to survive. And one more thing,” he added. “this plan is historic.”
Jack Turman and Audrey McNamara contributed to the reporting.