WASHINGTON — The Senate voted to begin debate on President Donald Trump’s massive tax package — but it could be several hours before lawmakers can take on votes related to the measure.
Shortly after the megabill narrowly passed, Senate Democrats requested the clerk to read the entirety of the reconciliation package, utilizing a procedure that is usually bypassed due to its time-consuming nature.
The vote to proceed was delayed for several hours after the originally scheduled time after a handful of senators, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, held up their votes.
Lee was one of three Republicans who huddled with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as the vote was held open. Ahead of that meeting, Lee announced he would pull his proposal to sell off public lands across 11 states.
The final rally came out to 51-49, barely overcoming the majority threshold needed to pass.
The clerk must finish reading aloud the 940-page bill before senators can proceed with debate, which could add up to a 12-hour delay for a vote on final passage.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he wanted to expose the provisions in the bill by having them read aloud for voters to hear.
‘I will object to Republicans moving forward on their Big, Ugly Bill without reading it on the Senate floor,“ Schumer said in a statement. ”Republicans won’t tell America what’s in the bill. So Democrats are forcing it to be read start to finish on the floor. We will be here all night if that’s what it takes to read it."
The move is reminiscent of when Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., forced the Senate clerk to read the entirety of Democrats’ 628-page American Rescue Plan in 2021, which added more than 10 hours to the process.
Johnson later bought the clerks a case of wine to make up for the delay, the Wisconsin Republican told reporters this week. Johnson also said he was present in the chamber for the full 10 hours — imploring his Democratic colleagues to do the same if they force a reading.
After the reading concludes, the floor will be open to 20 hours of debate evenly divided on both sides — although it’s unlikely to take that long as Republicans could yield their 10-hour portion to accelerate the process.
Once debate is complete, senators will be permitted to introduce an unlimited number of amendments, resulting in an hourslong process colloquially known as a vote-a-rama. When amendments are through, a vote on passage will occur — likely coming sometime Sunday.
However, Republicans still face an uphill battle on the way to passage. At least three Senate Republicans — Johnson as well as Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rand Paul, R-Ky. — have come out against the bill, potentially putting the package in peril.
Republicans can only afford three ‘no’ votes, and even then it would put the tally at a 50-50 vote if all Democrats vote no. At that point, Vice President J.D. Vance would need to act as the tiebreaking vote to advance the chamber.
Meanwhile, House Republicans have been told to expect votes next week as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, according to lawmakers who were briefed by leadership on Saturday. If successful, the bill would reach Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July — the deadline GOP leaders set months ago.