Senate Democrats and a handful of Republicans wrapped up a marathon of speeches on the Senate floor just after 1 a.m. Sunday night, mostly railing against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
But the real fight is set to begin soon.
Senate GOP leaders made the unusual — and unpopular among the rank-and-file — decision Sunday night to take a break before starting the high-stakes vote-a-rama that comes at the end of every budget reconciliation push in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s move to bring senators back in at 9 a.m. for the amendment marathon is a departure from the norm. The process, during which senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments, usually occurs in the overnight hours with the goal of exacting as much pain as possible and wearing senators down.
A daytime vote-a-rama likely means the process could drag out much longer — possibly until early Tuesday morning, some GOP senators predict.
Yet the reality is that Senate Republicans are on a glide path to passing President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities, a huge win for them and the White House. Thune can’t breathe a sigh of relief yet, however.
Unlimited floor votes. The first vote the Senate takes before starting the vote-a-rama is on the current policy baseline, the accounting tactic Republicans are using to make the 2017 tax cuts permanent.
Senate Democrats have condemned the use of the baseline and planned to force a parliamentarian ruling on the floor. Instead, Thune set up a party-line vote to settle the scorekeeping question and avoid any need to overrule the parliamentarian, which he’s pledged not to do.
But this vote ushers in a new norm in the Senate, putting a current policy baseline in play for either party to extend tax cuts permanently in reconciliation without paying for them.
During the vote-a-rama itself, the Senate will vote on Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) amendment to lower the federal match rate for states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare.
Scott and other conservatives secured GOP leaders’ support for the amendment in exchange for their votes for the motion to proceed to the reconciliation package.
The amendment is unlikely to pass, though, as a handful of Republican senators have already expressed opposition.
Dems’ playbook. Most of the vote-a-rama will be the Democrats’ show. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will kick things off.
Schumer’s first amendment will underscore a theme of the day for Democrats, forcing Republicans to vote on a measure focused on not increasing “costs for working families and small businesses to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”
Here are other key topics for Democrats.
— Medicaid: Republicans’ plans to slash around $1 trillion in spending from health care programs — mainly Medicaid — will be a huge focus for Democrats.
Senate Democrats are also expected to focus on rural hospitals, a sensitive issue for GOP moderates who fought to add a $25 billion relief fund to the package.
— Clean energy: Senate Democrats are planning amendments targeted at Republicans’ net $517 billion in cuts to clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats see an opportunity to put GOP senators who didn’t want these aggressive repeals in a tough spot.
— SNAP: Democrats are also planning to highlight Republicans’ cuts to federal food assistance programs, which have caused heartburn for the GOP.
AI deal. Here’s one floor problem that Republicans might have solved. GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) struck a compromise Sunday night on a reworked proposal to push states not to regulate artificial intelligence.
Under the new language, states can only access $500 million in new funds for AI infrastructure if they don’t regulate AI for five years. Cruz’s original proposal spanned a decade.
However, the agreement contains several carveouts, allowing states to continue to “protect kids, creators, and other vulnerable individuals from the unintended consequences of AI,” Blackburn said in a statement.
Blackburn was leading the resistance to Cruz’s original AI provision alongside several other Republicans, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). It’s unclear where other opponents will land on the new deal. Democrats are still expected to force a vote to scrap the provision.
Tillis on a warpath. Newly liberated Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) isn’t holding back after his shocking retirement announcement Sunday.
Tillis gave two floor speeches Sunday night slamming the GOP reconciliation bill’s Medicaid cuts and phase-outs of clean energy tax credits. Tillis also spoke with reporters about his decision not to seek reelection. (More below on the succession race.)
On the floor, Tillis said Republicans were “betraying” Trump’s promise, adding that he told the president the bill “will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid.” Tillis told Republicans that, “It’s going to be a massive mistake” if Republicans move forward with it.
Tillis insisted, however, that he’s not trying to undermine Senate GOP leaders.
“I’m not that kind of guy,” Tillis said. “I mean, if you’ve got to surprise or jam your conference to get something done, you’re a pretty shitty legislator.”
