The Senate is expected to have a busy weekend schedule to pass President Trump’s key bill, according to Fox News. The House is also preparing for a bill fight next week.
The Senate will likely not hold a procedural vote to formally pass the bill until Friday. At that time, the Senate will need 20 hours to debate. Democrats will likely use all 10 hours of their debate time, while Republicans will use less. As a result, the Senate may begin a lengthy vote-a-rama on Friday night or early Saturday morning.
A “vote-a-rama” is a process in which the Senate votes on amendments and provisions of a bill consecutively for hours.
The vote may begin late Friday night or early Saturday morning and last through Saturday and even into Sunday morning. The end result is that the bill could pass the Senate late Saturday or early Sunday.
However, the exact timing is still difficult to predict. A final vote could take place at any time of the day or night on the weekend, or even on Monday morning.
The most recent “vote-a-rama” lasted nearly 10 hours. A 2021 session lasted 14 hours and 48 minutes, with a total of 40 amendments considered.
Senator Tim Kaine of the Democratic Party is likely to propose a resolution on war powers, which could delay the start of voting on the bill.
The other big question is how quickly the House will react to pass the bill and synchronize with the Senate.
If the Senate passes the bill on Saturday or Sunday, the House will likely try to act quickly, even passing it late Sunday or early Monday. They don’t want members to wait too long.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson may face political pressure to allow members to consider the bill for a day or two. This could delay House passage until Tuesday or Wednesday.
One of the most complex issues is adjusting the numbers related to spending and spending cuts. Besides, reducing state and local taxes (SALT) for high-tax states is also a major obstacle.
The Senate will likely try to put the SALT deduction up to $40,000, which is the same as the House’s level. However, what matters is whether the Senate will cap income to receive this tax break. Members of the SALT group stressed that they want a straight $40,000 deduction, rather than the current $10,000 in the Senate bill. This is an important issue for Republican congressmen from New York and California.
According to Fox News.
