The amendment process, known on Capitol Hill as a “vote-a-rama,” started Saturday night shortly after 11:30 p.m. ET. A final vote on the bill will take place after the amendment votes end, the timing of which is not yet clear.
But senators are looking at making changes to the bill, just hours before the chamber is expected to pass it.
Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are in discussions with Senate GOP Whip John Thune on the 15% corporate minimum tax. The two Democrats — who are pivotal in writing and passing the legislation — were seen by CNN going into Thune’s office on Sunday.
“We’re having conversations and continuing to work it,” said Thune.
The issue has been percolating since Saturday after Sinema discovered language in a draft of the bill showing how subsidiaries of companies owned by private equity firms could be hit by the 15% corporate minimum tax if their combined book income exceeds $1 billion, according to a Senate source familiar with the matter.
If Sinema succeeds in altering that provision, the bill would raise $35 billion less in revenue, potentially reducing the roughly $300 billion in deficit savings, which is a key priority for Manchin.
In a potential problem for Democrats, Sinema could back a Thune amendment to exempt those companies from the corporate minimum tax — and pay for the lost revenue by extending for a year a limitation on individuals’ state and local tax deductions through 2026.
If the Senate adopts Thune’s proposal, several Democrats in the House primarily from coastal districts, who have campaigned on repealing the limits on the SALT deduction, could object.
The bill — named the Inflation Reduction Act — would represent the largest climate investment in US history and make major changes to health policy by giving Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs and extending expiring health care subsidies for three years. The legislation would reduce the deficit, be paid for through new taxes — including a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% tax on stock buybacks — and boost the Internal Revenue Service’s ability to collect.
It would raise over $700 billion in government revenue over 10 years and spend over $430 billion to reduce carbon emissions and extend subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and use the rest of the new revenue to reduce the deficit.
Senate Democrats only need a simple majority for final passage of the bill since they are using a process known as reconciliation, which allows them to avoid a Republican filibuster and corresponding 60-vote threshold.
In order to pass a bill through the reconciliation process, however, the package must comply with a strict set of budget rules. And Republicans are using the vote-a-rama to put Democrats on the spot and force politically tough votes.
Republicans were also successful in removing a key insulin provisions to cap the price of insulin to $35 per month on the private insurance market, which the Senate parliamentarian ruled was not compliant with the Senate’s reconciliation rules. The $35 insulin cap for Medicare beneficiaries remains in place.
After the Senate passes the bill, the House is expected to return to Washington on Friday to consider it.
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
Senate Democrats are killing off amendments to their climate, tax and health bill as part of a marathon, around-the-clock series of votes known as a vote-a-rama that started after 11 p.m. Saturday night and will stretch toward midday Sunday.
The Senate has not taken a break overnight, with senators from both parties mingling on the floor as they consider one amendment after another.
Most of the GOP amendments are intended to put Democrats on the spot on tough issues. If any were approved, it could also make the sweeping package more difficult to pass in the House at the end of the week.
The process was initially expected to last as long as 12 to 14 hours, with some optimistic observers wondering if it could wrap up more earlier if lawmakers exhausted one another with the overnight work.
Senators appeared relatively chipping after dawn broke Sunday morning, despite the grueling work. The vast majority of the did not appear to be getting fatigued.
At 6:30 a.m., the Senate was dispensing with an amendment from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on crime. Several more hours of votes were expected.
The vote-a-rama is a feature of the Senate budget process, which Democrats are using to pass a major climate, tax and health bill with 51 votes, bypassing a Republican filibuster.
The budget reconciliation process allows the party in control of the Senate to pass major legislation with a simple-majority vote but the trade-off is Democrats must allow Republicans vote on an unlimited number of back-to-back amendments.
Each side has only one minute to make an argument for or against an amendment before a vote is called.
Votes on amendments that violate the Byrd Rule, which requires that legislation passed through the budget reconciliation process have a non-tangential impact on spending, revenues or the debt limit, are subject to procedural objections, which require 60 votes to be waived.
Not all the votes have been on GOP amendments.
The first amendment of the vote-a-rama is one sponsored by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), which would require Medicare not to pay more than what the Department of Veterans Affairs does for prescription drugs.
It was defeated 1-99.
The last vote-a-rama the Senate held in August of 2021 to pass the budget resolution lasted 14 hours and included consideration of more than 40 amendments.
Democratic senators say they expect this weekend’s vote-a-rama to last until 11 am or noon Sunday, judging by past experiences.
Senate Republicans are targeting vulnerable Democrats on hot-button campaign issues like taxes, gas prices and the border, as their colleagues plow forward with a sprawling economic bill key to President Biden’s legislative agenda.
Republicans are hoping to make Democrats feel pain with a series of tough votes on proposed amendments to the party’s mammoth bill, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, as the Senate buckles up for a long night of round the clock votes in what’s known as a vote-a-rama.
Among the amendments Republicans will bring up during the vote-a-rama include measures they say are aimed at gas prices by striking imported and domestic oil tax proposals, reducing gas prices with onshore domestic energy production, and preventing IRS audits from targeting small business owners.
GOP leaders have been hopeful about the chances of securing last-minute changes to the plan, despite their overwhelming opposition to the package, in the event it could make the legislation tougher to pass in the House. However, there is doubt among Republicans over whether any will be able to stick to the bill.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) told The Hill that when a party is using the special budget rules the Democrats are employing to avoid a filibuster, “the other side’s going to, you know, end up doing amendments that generally get wiped clean anyway.” He said amendments usually wind up getting used “for political purposes.”
Other amendments Republicans are expected to bring up during the marathon voting session includes one being offered by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) dealing with Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows for migrants to be quickly expelled at the border.
The vote could be a tough one for some vulnerable Democrats ahead of the coming midterm races in November.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration drew pushback from Republicans, as well as resistance from some Democrats, over plans to rescind the policy. The effort hit a roadblock in May after a federal judge temporarily stopped the administration from ending the policy, but Lankford has also helped lead a bipartisan push that would limit the White House’s authority on the matter.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) called the voting session, which can run through the night and well into the morning, a “rare” chance for voters to see where members stand on critical issues.
“Sometimes you don’t get a vote on some of these things, so it’s good to bring them out,” Tuberville told The Hill, while adding he also has several proposals queued up for consideration.
“I got a couple on taxes, couple on border, if we get to them,” Tuberville said. “We got a lot of them. So, we’ll see. We might be there this time tomorrow night.”
Washington — The Senate approved President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, over 24 hours after opening debate on the bill. A grueling amendment process, known as a “vote-a-rama,” was stalled for nearly 12 hours on Friday due to disagreements within the Democratic caucus over an unemployment insurance benefit.
The final vote was 50-49, with all Democrats voting in favor of the bill and all Republicans voting against it. The passage of the bill was met with cheers and applause from Democrats, celebrating the passage of one of Mr. Biden’s key priorities. Vice President Kamala Harris did not need to visit the Capitol to break any ties, as GOP Senator Dan Sullivan left due to a family emergency on Friday.
Democrats took a victory lap after the passage of the bill, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer telling reporters after the vote that “it’s a great day for this country.” Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders called the bill “the most significant piece of legislation to benefit working families in the modern history of this country.”
President Biden dubbed the plan “historic” during an address on Saturday.
“For over a year the American people were told they were on their own,” he said, and later added, “This nation has suffered too much for much too long, and everything in this package is designed to relieve the suffering and to meet the most urgent needs of the nation.”
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 get $5,600. “That means the mortgage can get paid. That means maintaining the health insurance you have. It’s going to make a big difference in so many lives in this country,” he said.
Senator Debbie Stabenow said that the passage of the bill 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 it is approved by the House, it will then go to Mr. Biden’s desk for his signature. Schumer expressed confidence that the Senate version of the bill would pass in the House.
“They feel like we do, we have to get this done,” he said.
The economic relief legislation is broadly popular, with recent polling showing that a majority of Americans support it, particularly the provision that provides $1,400 in direct checks to earners making under $75,000. Senate Democrats reached a deal to limit the eligibility for who receives direct checks earlier this week. Other provisions in the bill include an additional $300 weekly jobless benefits through September 6, a child allowance 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 an arduous “vote-a-rama,” in which the Senate debated, considered and voted on 39 amendments over a 25 hour period. The process was initially delayed by a deadlock involving Senator Joe Manchin, moderate from West Virginia who has become a critical player in the evenly divided Senate.
On Friday evening, Senate Democrats reached a deal accepted by Manchin, after he had an extended meeting with Schumer. The compromise amendment extended the additional unemployment insurance benefits through September 6, makes the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance benefits non-taxable for households with incomes under $150,000, and extends tax rules regarding excess business loss limitations to 2026.
The compromise amendment was approved by a vote of 50 to 49 shortly after 1 a.m. It was almost identical to an amendment proposed under a deal reached Friday morning by progressives and moderates, with the only change being the income limit for the non-taxable benefits.
Mr. Biden stressed during his address Saturday that the deal extended assistance for the 11 million Americans who lost jobs due to the pandemic — and whose benefits were “about to expire,” he said.
Manchin has assumed a powerful role in the caucus because he’s one of the deciding votes in an evenly divided Senate. Democrats have 50 seats, which means that there is no room for dissent in the ranks: losing the support of a single senator means losing the overall vote. Earlier on Friday, Manchin had appeared to lean towards supporting an amendment introduced by GOP Senator Rob Portman that would have cut the unemployment insurance benefit from $400 to $300 and extended it only through June.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, center, speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, March 5, 2021.
Bloomberg/Contributor
The “vote-a-rama” initially began on Friday morning with a failed vote on an amendment proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders that would have raised the federal minimum wage. But the vote stayed open even after all senators had voted, preventing the next amendment from being considered and allowing Democrats to work behind the scenes to convince Manchin to support their unemployment insurance benefit amendment.
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” then resumed shortly before midnight with a vote on Portman’s unemployment insurance benefit amendment, which passed by a vote of 50-49, with Manchin’s support. However, that amendment will be canceled out by the Democratic amendment, which was voted on a few hours later and which Manchin also supported. This compromise amendment will be included in the final bill.
Manchin acknowledged to reporters after the final vote on the bill on Saturday afternoon that negotiations “took longer than they should’ve,” but expressed contentment with the final bill.
“We got it done and we got a better deal,” Manchin said.
The Senate convened on Friday morning with two hours of debate, followed by a vote on Sanders’ amendment, which would have raised the untipped minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, and the tipped minimum wage to $14.75 over seven years. The Senate parliamentarian ruled last week that the Senate could not include a provision raising the minimum wage to $15 under budget reconciliation rules, so GOP Senator Lindsey Graham raised a point of order challenging the amendment.
Manchin, as well as Democratic Senators Jon Tester, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Chris Coons, Tom Carper and Maggie Hassan, joined Republicans in voting against allowing the provision to be included. Senator Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, also voted against adding the minimum wage hike to the bill. Manchin and Sinema in particular had previously expressed their opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15.
Congress is using the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill, which limits time for debate and allows legislation to pass with a simple majority, a workaround that avoids the 60-vote threshold that most bills require to advance in the Senate. If every Democrat supports the final bill, it would pass without any Republican support.
But Republicans are critical of the size of the bill and frustrated that Democrats are using the reconciliation process, arguing that they are taking a partisan route rather than working across the aisle. Democrats reply that they don’t need to waste time negotiating with Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold and pass a smaller package.
In retaliation, Republican senators aimed to make the amendment process politically painful for Democrats, with mixed results. One such vote could was on an amendment to prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving stimulus checks. During the “vote-a-rama” last month on the budget resolution to set up the reconciliation process, eight Democrats joined all Republicans in voting for the amendment, infuriating progressives. However, when the Senate voted on the amendment on Saturday morning, it failed without any Democratic support.
The Senate did approve two amendments by voice vote, one on veterans’ education and one on aiding homeless children. The latter amendment was proposed by GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski and Manchin, and will dedicate $800 billion in education funding specifically for homeless children. The final amendment considered during the “vote-a-rama” was a bipartisan 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 from the House bill in several ways, including the amendments that passed on Friday and Saturday. Some recently added measures, according to a Senate Democratic aide, include $510 million for FEMA and $750 million for states and communities impacted by job and revenue loss 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 COVID-19 student loan relief tax-free.
A vote on the motion to proceed to debate on the legislation succeeded in a party-line vote on Thursday afternoon, with Harris breaking the 50-50 tie. Although budget reconciliation rules allow for up to 20 hours of debate ahead of the “vote-a-rama,” Republicans and Democrats only used two, after GOP Senator Ron Johnson forced the Senate clerk to read the entire bill aloud on Thursday evening. The process took almost 11 hours, ending early Friday morning. The Senate agreed to convene later Friday morning for up to three hours of debate, but any time saved by limiting the debate time was quickly lost with the nearly 12-hour delay over the unemployment insurance amendment.
“The bottom line is this: This plan puts us on the path to beating this virus,” Mr. Biden said Saturday. “This plan gives those families that are struggling the most the help and the breathing room they need to get through this moment. This plan gives small businesses in this country a fighting chance to survive. And one more thing,” he added, “this plan is historic.”
Jack Turman and Audrey McNamara contributed reporting.