Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Senate Democrats kicked off a marathon voting session on Saturday.
The so-called “vote-a-rama” is a necessary step to advancing Democrats’ economic plan.
It may last over a dozen hours, given the last three vote-a-ramas.
Senate Democrats on Saturday evening proceeded to the “vote-a-rama” on their $740 billion climate, healthcare, and tax bill. It’s the marathon voting session where lawmakers in both parties offer as many amendments as they can physically endure with no time limit.
The package — mostly negotiated between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia — would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of some prescription drugs, establish over $300 billion in clean-energy tax credits, and extend financial assistance so Americans can purchase health coverage under the Affordable Care Act for three more years.
Vote-a-ramas typically stretch over a dozen hours and into the night, depending when they start. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the chief Republican vote-counter, said to expect at least four dozen amendment votes on inflation, immigration, and crime — all areas that Republicans want to pummel Democrats going into the midterm campaign season.
Earlier in the day, Democrats were girding for a long night. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan encouraged reporters to “go get something to eat.” While Manchin asked how many journalists would be covering the debate until the very end. Just before dinner time, aides wheeled in a large cart full of barbecue.
“There are a lot of rumors that it may be, could be done tomorrow but we’re ready,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, told reporters. “I got like a change of clothes, various items, ready to go as long as it takes.”
Senate Republicans vowed to force Democrats to take politically painful votes, part of an effort to exploit those positions for the November midterms.
“What will vote-a-rama be like? It will be hell,” Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina told reporters on Friday. “These are going to be hard votes for the Democrats.”
Other Republicans just seemed unhappy to be in DC.
“Woke up at 5am to a 3am email that my 8:30am flight was cancelled but they rebooked me on an 8pm flight tomorrow night with one connection,” Sen. Marco Rubio of Floria wrote on Twitter, “Now in DC for the joy that is ‘vote a rama’ on a garbage bill.”
While Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the longest serving Senate Republican, lamented that he was missing out on a family reunion.
“Each Dec Schumer puts out schedule for Senate I set Grassley family reunion based on schedule,” Grassley wrote on Twitter. “For 2nd yr in row I won’t be at reunion I’m in DC to fight Dems irresponsible tax&spend bill.”
—ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) August 5, 2022
The vote-a-rama is a special part of the Senate procedure that is required because Democrats are trying to muscle through their plan without a single Republican vote under a process called budget reconciliation. It allows Democrats to blow past the usual obstacle of the filibuster and its 60-vote threshold that effectively kills most legislation. In turn, minority parties use the vote-a-rama as a way to damage their political opponents since they are unable to resort to the usual protection of the filibuster.
The GOP is hoping that historic headwinds and concerns about inflation flip the chamber this November. This means they are likely to try to squeeze Sens. Mark Kelly, Raphael Warnock, and Catherine Cortez Masto, who are all widely viewed as the Democrats facing the toughest midterm contests, with difficult votes.
Usually, the party in power does not offer many of its own amendments as a way to preserve support for the overall bill. But Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, has railed against the legislation for not going far enough.
“The bottom line is that today is about whether or not Democrats are going to stand up and fight for amendments and support amendments, which address some very critical needs of working families,” Sanders told reporters. “The amendments that I will walk will probably have the support of 70 or 80% of the American people. We will see how much support that we get …”