After the Senate remained in session for more than 24 hours of marathon votes through Friday night, the COVID relief package passed Saturday in a 50-49 vote, entirely along party lines. Senate Republicans sought to amend the legislation but Senate Democrats largely stuck together to defeat any major changes to the bill, one of the largest federal aid packages in history. The Senate bill includes several changes from the version passed by the House last week including removing an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which the Senate parliamentarian determined violated Senate rules. While Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) sought to overrule the parliamentarian and pass the minimum wage hike as an amendment to the package Friday, eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans in voting against it, a sign that it had no chance of passing. Democrats also agreed to an amendment from West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D) that would provide $300 a week in payments through September 6th, rather than the $400 a week through August that the bill originally laid out. The change would also provide up to $10,200 in tax relief for laid off workers for households with incomes under $150,000 a year. House Democrats appear on track to approve the Senate’s changes even though progressives had hoped for a last-ditch way to force the minimum wage hike into the bill, Sanders’ amendment proved that Senate Democrats did not have the votes for such a move. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) announced over the weekend that the House will vote on the Senate-amended coronavirus relief package on Tuesday, after the lower chamber considers the rule for the bill’s consideration on Monday night. President Biden will sign the bill this week, well before unemployment benefits for millions expire on March 14th. Of note, The White House said Monday that many Americans who qualify for $1,400 stimulus checks will receive them by the end of the month. Great NYT article on the anticipated impact of the COVID relief bill.
For today, the House will meet at 12 p.m. for morning hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes are not expected until after 6:30 p.m. at which time, the House will take up 13 bills under suspension of the rules, including a bill to award three congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The House will also take up the Rule for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 and the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act aims to amend several federal labor laws, including the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). These laws currently govern the relationship between employers and labor unions in private workplaces. They address how employees organize to engage in collective bargaining and things like what public disclosures unions must make about their finances and also provides direct protections to employees who are not represented by unions, including contractors.
The Senate stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, at which time the Senate will proceed to Executive Session and resume consideration of Marcia Fudge to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. At 5:30pm, the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Fudge nomination followed by a cloture vote on Merrick Garland to be Attorney General. The vote comes after Garland’s nomination was delayed amid roadblocks from Republicans. Democrats had hoped to confirm Garland last week after voting him 15-7 out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, however Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), a member of the committee who is viewed as a potential 2024 contender, disclosed in a string of tweets that he was objecting to speeding up Garland’s nomination. Under the Senate’s rules, any one member can slow down a nomination and force Senate leadership to eat up days of time before a final vote.
This afternoon, President Joe Biden will visit the Washington, DC VA Medical Center at 1 p.m. to see the administration of vaccines there. Later, the President, Vice President and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will deliver remarks in the State Dining Room for International Women’s Day and the President will sign executive orders including one establishing the White House Gender Policy Council.
Adam S. Olsen, Washington, D.C.
