Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York informed fellow Democrats on Saturday that he intends to have Senate clerks read aloud the entire 1,000-page Republican-sponsored spending and tax bill once the GOP initiates a procedural vote to move it forward. This maneuver, aimed at slowing down the legislative process, is expected to consume roughly 12 hours and could stall President Trump’s legislative timeline by at least half a day.
According to a Democratic aide with knowledge of the floor strategy discussions, Schumer told members of his caucus to be ready to demand a full reading of the lengthy bill as soon as Republicans begin formal debate.
One of the pressing questions now facing Senate leadership is whether Republicans will press ahead with the reading through the night and into early Sunday, or allow staff to rest before launching into the next phase of the legislative process — a marathon session of amendment votes known as a vote-a-rama.
Republicans had reportedly anticipated that Schumer might use this tactic as a form of protest against the legislation.
Schumer’s move comes as Senate Republicans work against the clock to pass President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending proposal ahead of the July 4 deadline he set. GOP leaders had initially planned to hold a preliminary vote on Saturday afternoon, then proceed with up to 20 hours of debate, followed by a vote-a-rama involving potentially unlimited amendments.
Now, due to Schumer’s intervention, the anticipated start of the vote-a-rama will be delayed.
Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether Republicans have secured enough votes to advance their version of the bill. With only a slim margin for defections, GOP leaders can afford to lose no more than three votes — and three Republican senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have publicly committed to voting against it.
{Matzav.com}