Senate Reaches Organizing Deal as Democrats Move Towards Budget Reconciliation on Stimulus

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that he and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had agreed to an organizing resolution, which is widely expected to give half of committee seats to Democrats under a 2001 precedent. A day earlier, Senate Democrats passed a resolution starting the budget reconciliation process for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill after gaining the support of moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin. If budget reconciliation is successful, it will allow the bill to be passed with a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes, and Republicans would not be able to slow the process with a filibuster. Coverage varied slightly across all outlets, with some articles focusing on angles like Republicans’ stimulus counter-proposal or Sen. Manchin’s reluctance to support reconciliation. Some center- and left-rated outlets published explainers on budget reconciliation.