We've only just begun
EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello,
Consider it a preview of things to come.
Early this morning, just past 5 a.m. ET, after about 15 hours of votes on various amendments, the Senate passed a budget resolution with Vice President Harris serving as the tiebreaking vote.
The resolution will enable Democrats to move forward with their plans to pass a massive relief package aimed at expanding and extending financial benefits as well as increasing funds to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. The House must now vote on the resolution.
This all seems complicated and tough, doesn't it? Well, get used to it, at least for the next two years. That's when a new Congress begins, and the GOP has a good shot at taking back majorities in the 2022 midterms.
Democrats have thin majorities in both houses of Congress, and Harris will likely be called on again and again to break ties in the Senate, even beyond the relief bill. President Biden's priorities include expanding Obamacare, followed by a sprawling infrastructure and green jobs plan. There's room for the GOP to negotiate, but so far even the most moderate members of the party have shown resistance to the kind of big moves Biden and his party want to make.
Look at how the Covid relief package is taking shape. While several Republicans have reached out to Biden to seek a relief deal, their proposals fell so short of what the administration and Democrats seek that negotiations haven't yielded results. There might be a few tweaks here and there, but given the size of the Biden's price tag, $1.9 trillion, it's possible that no Republican will vote for it, even if the cost comes down a little.
It looks like the vice president will have many more late nights ahead of her. And she will probably be ok with that if it will mean legislative success for the Biden administration. Whether these moves prove to be successful beyond the halls of Congress – whether they get the virus under control and stabilize the economy – remains to be seen.
So far, Biden is betting that action, rather than bipartisanship, is the key to victory.
Thoughts? Email Politics Editor Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.
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