After a marathon vote session on Wednesday morning, the U.S. Senate narrowly approved a $3.5 trillion spending plan. It was a significant victory for Democrats’ plan to enact sweeping extensions of various social security and health care programs while raising taxes on wealthy Americans.
The budget plan passed 50-49 on party lines with Senator Mike Rounds (R.S.D.). Following a lengthy vote-a-rama procedure, which allows senators to amend the non-binding resolution to the budget, Mr. Rounds was absent.
The Democrats are planning to push through the package in the coming months by using a method known as “budget reconciliation,” which allows for legislation to be passed with a simple majority vote.
The blueprint was passed just one day after the Senate passed a $1 billion infrastructure bill in a bipartisan, 69-30 vote.
The House will now be able to move both the budget and the infrastructure bills. This is because lawmakers are due to return from their summer recess earlier this month.
The leading progressive House Democrats have stated that they won’t vote on the Infrastructure Bill until the House approves its budget package. This is in direct opposition to moderate lawmakers who want to get the bill passed quickly.
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.) tweeted after the passage of the resolution: “Senate Democrats have just passed our budget resolution that provides historic investments in American families and American jobs as well as the fight against climate change.” It will allow us to make a significant change in the way our economy works for average Americans.
