Senate Democrats will attempt this week to pass a massive spending bill, the result of a deal between Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). But the looming threat of COVID-19-related absences by lawmakers makes timing on a vote uncertain.
Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, full of healthcare, tax, and climate provisions, is no sure thing. Even though Democrats need only 51 votes to pass the key plank of President Joe Biden’s agenda, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has not yet indicated whether she will support the legislation.
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But the situation has been further complicated by a string of recent COVID-19 infections among senators. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Monday disclosed he tested positive for COVID-19 but said he remains opposed to the Democrats’ reconciliation deal.
If it happens, I will be there, consistent with CDC guidelines https://t.co/eJlVdSZlOg
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 1, 2022
Cornyn also said he intends to vote against the measure “consistent with CDC guidelines.” It was not immediately clear when Cornyn tested positive, or when he could leave isolation while remaining consistent with the guidelines.
It makes for a touch-and-go situation in a 50-50 Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote gives Democrats their majority. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to move the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 through special budget rules, known as reconciliation, requiring only a bare majority to pass, and the process is not subject to the chamber’s normal 60-vote filibuster rule.
Manchin himself recently recovered from COVID-19 and announced the deal during his own quarantine, holding a press call via Zoom with reporters last week to discuss the negotiations between him and Schumer. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also tested positive for COVID last week.
The Senate, unlike the House, did not adopt a proxy voting measure in response to the pandemic. So absences from COVID could imperil a reconciliation vote’s prospects.
The bill, a scaled-back alternative to Build Back Better, a sweeping social spending and green energy bill that Manchin killed last year when he objected to its price tag and raised concerns over inflation, was announced just hours after the Senate passed the bipartisan CHIPS Act on Wednesday, which McConnell previously threatened to tank if Democrats pursued a reconciliation bill. The new effort, nicknamed Build Back Manchin, could pass with a process known as reconciliation if the Senate parliamentarian approves.
If Cornyn is not able to return in time for the vote, his absence would permit Democrats one absence in their effort to pass the bill.
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Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who has been recovering from surgery after a fall at his home, is expected to return to the Senate this week, leaving Republicans at a further disadvantage in numbers.
