Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) prompted the Senate to start reading all 628 pages of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill aloud on the Senate floor on Thursday, blocking a vote on legislation Democrats expect to pass next week.
Sen.Ron Johnson urges Senate to Read 628 pages Biden's bill
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 18: Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) questions Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz during a Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs hearing at the US Capitol on December 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. Last week the Inspector General released a report on the origins of the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's possible ties with Russia during the 2016 Presidential elections.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson explained that his strategy was to "educate" the American public on what was included in the $1.9 trillion plan. He has been criticized for being full of provisions unrelated to COVID-19 relief. It's possible that the whole procedure would take at least 10 hours.
Johnson told reporters Thursday that he felt terrible for the Senate clerks who would have to read it. But delaying the process and reading the bill aloud was significant because of too much hurry. These big measures that few senators have time to read, as per USA Today via Yahoo.
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According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Johnson's decision will "accomplish nothing more than a few sore throats for the Senate clerks who work really hard day in and day out to make the Senate function."
"I'm not out here reading the bill," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, told reporters. Graham said his Republican colleague had every right" to demand the reading. Still, she doesn't think it really pushes the ball along, using the later amendment procedure as better use of time to highlight Republican disagreements with the bill. Johnson was the only Republican senator in the senate when the clerk started reading the bill Thursday afternoon. His blue face mask rested on his desk as he sat watching the clerk.
Senators usually don't read amendments to bills on the Senate floor, but Johnson used a legislative strategy to force the whole bill to be read. Other Republican senators have expressed approval for Johnson's decision. Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was asked about Johnson's intentions and told reporters, "I do" support them. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, said the decision was "completely supportive" because few senators had read the whole document.
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Biden's COVID-19 relief bill advances in Senate
Republicans are preparing for a tense argument that will certainly drag on into the weekend. Democrats rallied their 50 senators early Thursday afternoon to begin voting on their own version of the stimulus plan, a crucial test vote that showed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had the votes to win in the end, whatever that could be, as per Politico.
Senate Democrats finalized their bill after frantic intra-party meetings and rushed it to the floor before most senators had a chance to read it. However, Democrats were confident in their ability to step forward after reaching a broad agreement on stimulus checks and unemployment insurance.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that the Senate would remain in session until the bill is through this week, no matter how long it takes.
The Senate voted Thursday to begin a discussion on President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, despite Democrats' failure to gain a single Republican senator's support on the new president's first major legislative effort, as per the Washington Post.
Vice President Harris broke the 50-50 tie in the poll, which was 51 to 50. No Republican will vote in favor of the bill on final passage, which could come after hours of debate and an amendment free-for-all that could drag through the weekend, based on GOP unity against the procedural motion.
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