h/t HotAir
Democrats might get to use reconciliation to push Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief/stimulus bill, but it comes with a cost. The same parliamentary procedure that allows the majority to get around the filibuster also allows the minority almost unlimited opportunities to propose amendments, which must receive a floor vote. The process colloquially known as "vote-a-rama" usually takes hours and allows the minority to impose a steep price in terms of taking potentially embarrassing votes.
...To say that the GOP is licking its chops at the prospect might be to engage in understatement. Mitch McConnell’s office sent out this release a few minutes ago highlighting the opening round of amendments, and it’s going to get pretty uncomfortable across the aisle. One amendment takes a direct swipe at Andrew Cuomo and his cover-up of nursing-home deaths, while another takes aim at teachers unions who got ahead of the line for vaccinations and still refuse to show up for work. Plus, McConnell plans to force Senate Democrats to vote for an explicit authorization to send stimulus checks to illegal immigrants
Politics are the art of the possible - McConnell’s playing the cards he's been dealt is, IMO, pure genius. |