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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer imposes a procedural vote on Wednesday afternoon on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has yet to be finalized, potentially risking a negotiating setback if Republicans give following their threats to vote against a bill “that does not yet exist.”
“I think it’s not going to be a tough vote for almost all Republicans to decide that we won’t vote to move on to a bill that doesn’t exist yet,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. , said Tuesday. “It’s not a very high standard to set.”
Schumer’s Wednesday deadline is anguished even among the most moderate Senate Republicans, signaling that the bipartisan infrastructure vehicle is unlikely to get the 60 votes – which means at least 10 Republican votes – to proceed with the debate.
Blunt’s dash against the Schumer timeline, DN.Y., set up followed comments this week from Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, saying she hoped Schumer “would delay the vote until next week.” Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., Also said that “unless Schumer doesn’t want this to happen, you need a little more time to get it right.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., praises his Democratic caucus at a press conference just after the Senate narrowly approved a COVID-19 relief bill of 1 , $ 9 trillion, at the Capitol in Washington on Saturday, March 6, 2021. Schumer forces a controversy to break a filibuster to proceed Wednesday to the debate on the bipartisan bill on infrastructure, despite the fact that the legislation is not not yet written. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
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“A cynic would say that,” Cassidy added on Monday when asked if Schumer was trying to kill the bipartisan effort so Democrats could move on to their massive $ 3.5 trillion spending plan through reconciliation. “I hope the cynic is wrong.”
Even if the vote were successful, the Senate would still face several steps to get to the final passage, including a closing vote to end debate, meaning Republicans would still be able to obstruct the final product. For this reason, Schumer maintains that he is forcing the vote now just to get moderate senators negotiating the legislation to move faster.
“This is not a final deadline for a legislative text. It is not a cynical ploy,” Schumer told the Senate Tuesday. “This is not a fish or bait moment. This is not an attempt to block anyone. It is only a signal that the Senate is ready to start the process – which the Senate has. regularly done on other bipartisan bills this year. “
And some of the moderates involved in the negotiations note that if the vote fails, the bill can be put to another vote when the text is complete.
“I hope they continue,” added Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., On the state of negotiations if Wednesday’s closing vote fails. “
“Of course” negotiations should continue if the infrastructure vote fails, R-Utah Sen. Mitt Romney also said. Cassidy also said he believes negotiations will continue even if the closing vote fails.
Relevant senators are also hoping that an agreement not only on the framework of a bill, but also on the details – including payments and policy details – could be reached on Wednesday. That doesn’t mean there will be legislation that Republicans vote for. But it would represent a significant step forward in the negotiations that could allow a subsequent vote to succeed in the coming days.
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“I really believe that tomorrow – it will be done because we are so close,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Tuesday night. “If it works well we should be, we should be done with this thing by noon.”
The bipartisan infrastructure framework includes hard infrastructure projects Republicans have said they can support, such as roads, bridges, transit, water and broadband. These provisions were essentially taken from the rest of the Democrats’ agenda, which Schumer and Senate Democrats plan to push forward separately through budget reconciliation, allowing them to bypass the 60-vote obstruction and therefore pass the legislation without no GOP vote.
“There is not a single Republican in the House or the Senate who will pay or vote for this reckless tax and spending bill. Not a single one,” the Senate GOP conference chairman said Tuesday. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Said on Tuesday of the Democrats’ reconciliation. bill. “To pass this bill, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are going to have to get all Democrats to walk on the plank.”
Some Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, are eager to dispense with bipartisan Senate vote wrangling over infrastructure and move on to the reconciliation effort. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Said earlier this week that “falling apart is probably the best thing,” according to Politico.
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The key procedural vote on the bipartisan bill is scheduled for Wednesday shortly after 2:30 p.m. And what Schumer does if the vote fails, Blunt said on Tuesday, could reflect how serious he is about getting the Senate to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill.
“I don’t know if this is an effort to kill the bipartisan bill effort or to speed it up. If it is an effort to do anything other than kill the bipartisan effort, the majority leader can easily accept a vote that’s wrong with the bill and be prepared to talk about it quickly, ”Blunt said.
“All he has to do is change his vote to the dominant side and be ready to talk about it later,” Blunt added, referring to a procedural trick Schumer could use to keep his options open for recall the bill for another vote. .
Fox News’ Caroline McKee, Chad Pergram, Megan Henney and Jason Donner contributed to this report.
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