The US Senate on Thursday took up the US$1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, but a reading of the entire 628-page bill aloud on the chamber floor promptly gummed up the action.
US President Joe Biden has pushed hard to get his top legislative priority through the US Congress, and it narrowly cleared the US House of Representatives last week.
However, instead of the upper chamber launching directly into debating the measure, Republicans halted the process for hours by demanding that clerks recite every word of the plan.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Republicans already appeared united in opposing the proposal over its high cost, and lawmakers braced for marathon days that will include up to 20 hours of debate and a lengthy list of amendments that will force contentious votes before the bill’s final passage.
Biden has been desperate to implement its key elements, including direct checks of up to US$1,400 for most Americans.
With the chamber deadlocked at 50-50, US Vice President Kamala Harris broke the tie to allow debate to begin.
The process hit a snag when US Senator Ron Johnson called for a full reading of the package.
The recitation, estimated to take about 10 hours, proceeded uninterrupted deep into Thursday night with clerks taking turns reading the dry, technical language in a monotone that threatened to put lawmakers and others to sleep.
Bill readings are almost always dispensed with at the start to allow for debate, but Johnson saw it as way to register his opposition to the massive outlay of federal spending.
“I feel bad for the clerks that are going to have to read it, but it’s just important,” Johnson said. “Why are we authorizing another [US]$1.9 trillion when we still have a trillion dollars sitting on the sidelines” unspent from the previous pandemic relief bills?
“It’s actually hard to spend this much money,” he said.
After debate, Republicans are expected to introduce multiple amendments to the bill in a process known as a “vote-a-rama,” in which senators can propose unlimited numbers of amendments.
Republicans aim to delay if not scupper the bill, so senators are bracing for a process that could stretch into the weekend or next week.
One big question is whether Democrats can stick together on such a huge amalgamation of priorities.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed confidence that they would, and said that Democrats were “delighted” with Johnson’s stunt.
“If the senator from Wisconsin wants to read it, let everybody listen, because it has overwhelming support” among the American public, Schumer told the chamber. “No matter how long it takes, the Senate is going to stay in session to finish the bill this week.”
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