Discussion Thread: Senate Debates Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and Reconciliation Resolution - Politics

Discussion Thread: Senate Debates Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and Reconciliation Resolution
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Discussion Thread: Senate Debates Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and Reconciliation Resolution

Posted: 10 Aug 2021 08:07 AM PDT

Today, the Senate is expected to vote on two major spending bills that are signature pieces of legislation for President Biden's agenda.

On Sunday, cloture was invoked on the Bipartisan Infrastructure package, which limits further debate in the Senate to 30 hours. This time expired at 3:50AM and Senators are expected to vote on final passage of the bill this morning, where a simple majority will suffice to pass legislation through the chamber. An 11th hour discussion between a bipartisan group of Senators to add an amendment to the bill which would have revised language in the bill that imposed additional reporting requirements on cryptocurrency transactions that the industry considered harmful failed to obtain unanimous consent.

Following the vote on the Bipartisan Infrastructure package, the Senate is expected to begin the reconciliation process for another Infrastructure package, currently priced at an estimated $3.5 trillion over a decade, and set to include a number of human infrastructure and climate change initiatives. Under reconciliation rules in the Senate, Senators are not permitted to filibuster the legislation, but significant limitations exist on the kinds of legislation appropriate for this procedure - namely, that any proposed legislation be primarily and not merely incidentally budgetary.

This reconciliation process, which occurred earlier this year for the American Rescue Plan, begins with a vote on a budget resolution, which instructs committees of jurisdiction to appropriate funds pursuant the amount they are allotted. To hold a final vote, however, Senators must first go through 20 hours of debate. Following debate, any roll call amendments that remain will get voted on in rapid succession without discussion in what's colloquially known as the "vote-a-rama". After this, the Senate will vote on the budget resolution, which is expected to fall under entirely partisan lines. Lawmakers under the resolution will have until September 15 to draft legislation, at which time the bill will move to a vote.