- The Senate on Friday approved a budgetary measure that paves the way for President Biden’s stimulus bill.
- The vote was split along party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris launching the tiebreaker.
- The resolution means that Biden can approve the stimulus bill without the support of the Republican Party.
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The US Senate passed a budget resolution on Friday morning that paves the way for Congress to approve President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion stimulus bill.
The vote was split along party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the casting vote for the resolution to pass 51 votes to 50 around 5:35 am.
It was Harris’ first Senate tie vote since his election as vice president, with the Senate split evenly between Democratic and Republican senators.
The resolution will allow Democrats to pass Biden’s stimulus bill without the support of the Republican Party.
With the tool, Democrats can approve the stimulus bill with a simple majority of votes, avoiding possible Republican Party blocking tactics that would otherwise require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate to overturn.
The resolution was passed as part of an all-night amendment vote marathon known as “vote-a-rama”.
Now it will be sent to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for ratification.
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The process for lawmakers and government officials to draft Biden’s relief bill can now begin in earnest. Biden is still seeking bipartisan support for a stimulus bill.
Any measures and commitments agreed with Republican senators as part of the negotiations can still be included in the stimulus bill, which could then be approved with Republican support, meaning that Democrats would not need the resolution tool approved on Friday.
The size of direct pay checks is among the issues that divide Republicans and Democrats, with Biden pushing for $ 1,400 checks and Republicans wanting $ 1,000 checks.
Democrats intend to approve the stimulus bill by March 14, when special unemployment benefits expire, unless Congress acts to renew them.