RIGHT SPEAK: Here’s what Senate Democrats rammed through in COVID-19 ‘vote-a-rama’; Senate passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief resolution after all-night "vote-a-rama"

Here’s what Senate Democrats rammed through in COVID-19 ‘vote-a-rama’:

Senate Democrats agreed to prevent $1,400 stimulus checks from going to high earners and to remove a $15-an-hour minimum wage from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package during the marathon “vote-a-rama” that ended early Friday.

But the measure — part of the package rammed through by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaker — is seemingly rudderless as it doesn’t specify a specific income cut-off for the free money, which was set at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples during previous giveaways.

And US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who surprisingly supported removing the minimum-wage hike — said he’d still work to have it included in the federal budget bill, according to reports.

Other plans adopted by the Democrat-controlled Senate include providing schools with $130 billion to help them reopen amid the continuing pandemic and increasing the child tax credit for low- and middle-income families. --->READ MORE HERE

Senate passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief resolution after all-night "vote-a-rama"

The Senate passed a budget resolution very early Friday morning, a key step for the Democratic-controlled Congress to pass President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal without any Republican votes. The 51-50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie, came after an all-night marathon "vote-a-arama."

The "vote-a-rama" included 41 votes with dozens of amendments considered. Harris cast her first tie-breaking votes as vice president, allowing the resolution to finally pass shortly before 6 a.m. with support from all 50 Democratic senators.

The Senate voted to reject a major component of the Biden plan — raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. In a voice vote, senators narrowly approved an amendment from Iowa Republican Joni Ernst that would ban the increase during a pandemic. However, the increase could be restored when the final measure is hashed out.

Passing a budget resolution is part of a process known as reconciliation, which allows legislation to pass in the Senate with only a simple majority instead of the typical 60-vote threshold, meaning Democrats would be able to green-light it without any Republican votes. But Republicans forced Democrats to go on the record with a series of votes on a slew of amendments in the politically painful "vote-a-rama." --->READ MORE HERE

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