Schumer a major loser on debate motion
Republicans in the Senate on Wednesday defeated a procedural vote brought by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to begin debate on the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, dealing a potentially crucial blow to President Biden’s agenda.
The vote failed 51 to 49. With the Senate evenly split at 50-50, Democrats needed 10 Republicans to vote with them to reach the 60-vote threshold to end cloture and begin debate.
Schumer said he ultimately voted against the motion — which he had been urged to delay — so that he would be able to reintroduce it at another time.
The 22 Republican and Democratic senators who have been negotiating the deal said in a statement that the work to hammer out a deal will continue.
“We have made significant progress and are close to a final agreement. We will continue working hard to ensure we get this critical legislation right — and are optimistic that we will finalize, and be prepared to advance, this historic bipartisan proposal,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) posted on Twitter moments after the vote.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Schumer assured him that the motion would be reintroduces if the lawmakers on the negotiating team can marshal the 60 votes required to break the filibuster.
Republican lawmakers, including those who negotiated the plan with Democrats and the White House, had asked Schumer to postpone the vote so that talks could continue on how to pay for the package and work out the details of what’s in it.
Democrats hoped to pass the infrastructure bill with bipartisan support in the Senate and then follow up by moving a $3.5 trillion spending package that includes funds for education, climate change, Medicaid and other social programs through reconciliation, which allows them to bypass Republicans altogether.