Democrats Poised To Ditch Republicans To Pass Big COVID-19 Relief Bill

WASHINGTON ― Democrats on Capitol Hill are preparing to push through a large coronavirus relief package ― without Republican support, if necessary ― in order to confront what they’re calling a historic health and economic crisis in America.

“Only big, bold action is called for,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a floor speech on Thursday, pledging to “move forward” and pass a bill even if Republicans object to the measure.

Democrats can muscle through spending legislation with only 51 votes in the Senate through a special procedure called budget reconciliation ― the same procedure that Republicans utilized several times over the past two decades to advance their agenda, including to enact broad tax cuts in 2017.

President Joe Biden has proposed a sprawling $1.9 trillion relief bill that would send $1,400 checks to most Americans, extend federal unemployment benefits through September and increase funding for vaccine distribution ― as well as enact a lot of other economic policies, such as raising the minimum wage, that Republicans feel are irrelevant to the pandemic.