Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer scored a key win Monday as the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that Democrats could use special budgetary rules to potentially bypass a GOP filibuster on President Biden’s ambitious infrastructure package. It’s a crucial step that could clear the way to get Biden’s two-phase plan with simple-majority votes in the 50-50 Senate.
The Parliamentarian ruled that democrats could amend the budget resolution they used to pass the American Rescue Plan, and attach another set of reconciliation instructions to it. It means that Schumer and the 49 other Democratic senators could pass Biden’s $2.25 trillion package by doing a revision of the fiscal 2021 Budget Resolution, and then doing a party-line vote with Vice-President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.
There still needs to be clarification from the Parliamentarian that the Democrats can actually use the budget amendment to pass the infrastructure plan. And then there’s Joe Manchin.
The West Virginia senator today said the idea of a 28% corporate tax rate (up from 21%) in Biden’s bill is “too high.” He seemed to give a fairly clear signal about a compromise number that could get it done.
Assuming all the proverbial senate ducks are in a row, a statement from a Schumer staffer all but lays out the path the Democrats will follow if they can’t cut a deal with their Republican counterparts.
“The Parliamentarian has advised that a revised budget resolution may contain budget reconciliation instructions. This confirms the Leader’s interpretation of the Budget Act and allows Democrats additional tools to improve the lives of Americans if Republican obstruction continues.”