U.S. Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) early Friday morning joined their Republican colleagues in voting against Senate Concurrent Resolution 5, the Fiscal Year 2021 budget reconciliation package.
The Senate vote split evenly on party lines, 50-50, however, Vice President Kamala Harris broke the tie to adopt the resolution.
The budget reconciliation package is being utilized by Democrats as the legislative vehicle by which they can avoid the necessary 60-vote Senate threshold needed to break a filibuster on the next round of COVID-19 relief. Now, Democrats can move forward without a single Republican vote being needed.
The resolution’s adoption came after a “vote-a-rama” that began Thursday and lasted all-night, culminating in a final 5:23 a.m. ET vote.
During that process, significant amendments were offered by Republicans — including Tuberville, who offered 23 amendments to the budget reconciliation package. His amendments would have, among other items, provided additional targeted relief for nursing homes, COVID response and vaccinations, rural broadband, and school reopening.
“The pandemic has hit rural areas in Alabama and across the country especially hard, making existing challenges like access to care, availability of high-speed internet, and the existence of good-paying jobs even more difficult,” said Tuberville in a Thursday statement ahead of the voting process. “I’ve always said that any COVID relief bills should target those who need help most, not giveaways to those already well-off. These common-sense amendments will provide substantive, targeted relief to those most in need, including our nursing homes, small businesses, and schools.”
The full list of his offered amendments can be found here.
Unfortunately, Democrats shot down almost all Republican amendments that received a vote, including one proposal to cut off funding to schools that refuse to reopen even after educators have been vaccinated.
An amendment to block coronavirus stimulus payments being sent to illegal aliens actually passed 58-42, as eight Democrats broke ranks to join the GOP caucus on the issue.
“Late last night into early this morning, I worked with my Republican colleagues to offer thoughtful and common sense amendments to the budget reconciliation package – including assistance for elderly populations, rural communities, small businesses, and schools. Democrats shut these targeted measures down,” Tuberville stated on Friday morning.
“It was a shame to see Democrats vote against amendments that would truly help the Americans who are hurting,” he continued. “Democrats showed their priorities are providing families making over $300,000 with additional stimulus relief rather than those who need it most, sending checks to illegal immigrants rather than American citizens out of work, and keeping schools shut down even after teachers have received their COVID-19 vaccine.”
Alabama’s junior senator concluded, “To date, over $4 trillion in COVID relief funding has been approved by Congress, yet a large portion of these funds have not been used and injected back into our economy. This partisan budget ignores those who have been hit hardest by COVID and broadly throws Americans’ tax dollars at the problem with no accountability.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.