The historic vote came at 3:51 AM Eastern after a 16-hour long marathon vote-o-rama on dozens of amendments.
In the end, the spending plan passed by 50 to 49 along party lines. Here’s the roll call: www.senate.gov/...
Since Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, didn’t vote on any of the measures there was no need for Vice President Harris to cast any tie-breaking votes.
The 92-page bill, largely crafted by Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders, represents a massive reordering of the federal government’s priorities. www.budget.senate.gov/…
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke after the budget resolution was passed:
What we're doing here is not easy. Democrats have labored for months to reach this point, and there are many labors to come, but I can say with absolute certainty that it will be worth doing.
The Democratic budget will bring a generational transformation to how our economy works for average Americans.
It will cut taxes for American families.
It will create good-paying jobs while tackling climate change.
it will be paid for by making our tax code more progressive and more fair, asking corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share.
It will help middle-class Americans stay in the middle class, and it will build ladders into the middle class.
It will restore the basic social contract in America. If you work hard, you can do better and pass on even greater opportunities for your children.
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Schumer then moved immediately to the next item on the agenda, the For the People Act:
. . . even at this late hour and before the conclusion of this session, this chamber is going to take one more step in the fight to protect voting rights in this country. In a moment, I will move to discharge the Rules Committee from further consideration of the For the People Act, a vehicle for the senate to have a debate on voting rights.
It is my intention that the first amendment to the bill would be the text of a compromise bill that a group of Senators are working on.
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With that, Schumer gave the floor to Joe Manchin who explained why he was voting to move the process forward. The original text of the bill will be swapped out for something less ambitious.
I have made it crystal clear that I do not support the For the People Act. Over the past few months, I have worked to eliminate the far-reaching aspects of that bill and amend the legislation to make sure our elections are fair, accessible, and secure. In June, I voted to begin debate in this Senate on my amended voting rights legislation, not the For the People Act. Tonight, I am again voting to move that process forward because I believe that we need to come together to restore people's faith in the integrity of our elections, but I do make it very clear that I will not support the For the People Act.
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The discharge motion on “S. 1; A bill to expand Americans' access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes” passed 50 to 49 along party lines just like the budget resolution did. www.senate.gov/…