Senate nears relief bill votes after half-day GOP delay
Sun shines on the U.S. Capitol dome, Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in Washington.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is steering toward a voting marathon on Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that’s expected to end with the chamber’s approval of the measure.
That comes after a Republican foe of President Joe Biden’s top legislative priority forced an extraordinary half-day holdup on the bill.
Moments after the Senate took up the legislation Thursday, Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson forced the chamber’s clerks to read aloud the entire 628-page measure. The exhausting task took 10 hours and 44 minutes and ended shortly after 2 a.m. EST Friday.
The chamber planned to begin voting around midday on a mountain of amendments.
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