The adoption of the budget, assured by the presence of Harris, marked the clearest sign yet of the of the Democratic takeover of the Senate, even if it’s by the slimmest margin. No Republican has yet backed anything close to the $1.9 trillion sought by Biden, with many in the GOP pivoting to austerity politics as they did in 2009 with a Democrat sitting in the Oval Office.
Republicans complained Biden was taking a partisan stance while spurning a $600 billion offer from 10 of their senators.
Democrats held firm against efforts to tie school funding to reopening schools, arguing the whole point of the money is to help schools safely reopen in the first 100 days of Biden’s presidency.
The non-binding amendments can set the stage for follow-on action—or campaign ads against senators in future elections.
One immigration amendment by Ted Cruz split the GOP, with 60 senators blocking his proposal opposing an expansion of work-related visas until the economy fully recovers. That could signal a slim possibility of reaching a bipartisan immigration deal later this year—a major Biden priority.
Just before final adoption, the Senate stripped out three amendments—on the Keystone pipeline, fracking and banning stimulus checks for undocumented immigrants. Those measures could have caused the budget to lose votes in the House.
Lawmakers clustered in tight groups on the Senate floor as they talked and debated policy. It was a scene reminiscent of last year’s impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump and one that foreshadowed his second trial, set to begin in less than a week.
The pandemic that has continued to rage around the country seemed an afterthought but for the masks that all but one of 100 senators wore. The exception was Paul.
Some of the senators on the floor were experiencing their first vote-a-rama after taking office this year: Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kentucky, Alex Padilla of California, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
Democrats are already planning another budget reconciliation package later this year for other items, including on climate legislation.
—With assistance from Laura Davison.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.