At 5:34 am on Friday, the Senate voted 51-50 to advance the budget resolution that will be used to facilitate passage of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal, with Vice President Harris acting as the tie-breaking vote for the first time.
Why it matters: Passing the relief package via the budget reconciliation process allows Democrats to sidestep the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most major legislation.
- The resolution will now go back to the House for final approval, at which point committees be allowed to begin writing the bill.
- Final passage came after 15 hours of debate on amendments proposed by senators.
What they’re saying: A month ago today, two senators from Georgia, two Democratic senators, were elected,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a speech on the Senate floor following passage of the resolution.
- “And just a month from that day, we have taken a giant step to begin to fulfill our promise to the American people that a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and President Biden will have their back and move them forward during this awful crisis.”
Go deeper: Biden holds all the cards in coronavirus relief talks — and he knows it
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Originally published at https://www.axios.com/senate-budget-resolution-advances-43b5f08b-bc93-470d-827e-0a1818b026cd.html on .
