With the conclusion of the second impeachment trial in the Senate, both chambers will turn their full attention to the budget reconciliation process for the $1.9 trillion COVID relief and recovery bill. Nine House committees have considered and reported out various pieces of the spending bill, and the full package was considered by the House Committee on the Budget on Monday.
Democrats will use a process known as “reconciliation” to avoid the Senate filibuster rules and pass the $1.9 trillion package with a simple majority vote. This will require all 48 Democrats and two Independents (who caucus with the Democrats regardless) to vote to pass the package and Vice President Kamala Harris to cast any needed tie-breaking vote. (Click here to learn more about reconciliation.)
The House hopes to pass the $1.9 trillion package by the end of this week and send it to the Senate. Once the Senate receives the bill, it will go through parliamentary review for provisions that do not conform to congressional reconciliation rules. These provisions will be dropped and the Senate will pass the package, probably sometime next week or the week of March 8. Once the Senate passes the bill, it will have to come back to the House for final passage before it can be sent to President Biden for his signature. The Democrats’ goal is to pass the bill by mid-March when the current authorization of enhanced unemployment benefits lapses.
For more information, contact Andrew Tyrrell at atyrrell@nrmca.org.
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