Republicans are sharpening their knives as the Senate prepares to wait for a long weekend while Democrats implement a special process to pass the party’s burgeoning health care, tax and climate plan without input from the other side of the aisle.
Republican leaders blasted the Democratic effort at a news conference Friday, a day before the Senate is set to begin consideration of the plan, while taking aim at Sens. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) and Kirsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). two key centrist opponents to support the effort.
“So what’s the vote-a-rama going to be?” Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C) told reporters Friday, referring to the marathon of votes senators will undergo over the next few days as part of a process that Democrats use to pass the bill. “It’s going to be hell.”
“They deserve this. As much as I admire Joe Manchin and Sinema for sometimes standing up to the radical left, they are authorizing legislation that will make life harder for the average person,” Graham said.
Graham, along with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), also threatened not to vote on a critical funding measure before a September deadline, when government funding is set to expire, for the effort.
Democrats are using a complicated procedure known as budget reconciliation to try to push through the party’s Cut Inflation Act, a massive package that would advance key parts of President Biden’s legislative agenda.
The procedure Republicans used to push through former President Trump’s tax law in 2017 would allow Democrats to pass a bill in the 50-50 Senate with a simple majority, bypassing the usual 60-vote threshold.
But to pass the bill using the maneuver, Democrats must jump through a series of hoops before bringing the bill to the floor for a vote. This includes what is known as a vote-a-rama — an often long and messy voting marathon in which senators can offer a series of amendments for a chance to influence legislation before a final vote on the overall bill.
In recent days, Republicans have been strategizing how to inflict as much pain as possible on Democrats during the upcoming voting session, promising to line up tough votes for the party that could be used as ammunition for the upcoming campaign season.
During the recent press conference, Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), a member of the Republican leadership, said that the GOP will focus specifically on areas such as “energy, inflation, the border and crime.”
Many Republicans are keeping their cards close to the vest about what amendments they plan to push during the marathon vote.
Pressed by The Hill on Thursday about who he would propose, Sen. John F. Kennedy (R-La.) declined to reveal, saying he wanted “it to be a surprise.”
“All my colleagues will have plenty of time to read my amendments,” Kennedy said. “But I don’t believe in leading with my chin.”
Republicans have expressed hope of attaching some of their amendments to the overall bill, despite their overwhelming opposition to the package, in case it could make the legislation more difficult to pass in the House.
Still, there is concern among GOP members about the chances of Democrats introducing a “sweepstakes” amendment that could allow all amendments passed during the session to be wiped out.
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Sen. John Thune (SD), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, acknowledged the problem during a news conference Friday, questioning whether Manchin and Sinema would vote for such an amendment.
“Because they both said they wouldn’t vote after they felt that in the American bailout they voted for a comprehensive fix and they felt misled by their leadership at the time that they would never vote for one of these again.” , Tun said.
The Hill has reached out to Manchin and Sinema’s offices for comment.
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