Democrats could win a slim majority in the Senate on Election Day, but it wouldn't be enough to cross the 60-vote threshold for most legislation.- House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi indicated on Monday that Democrats could use a process known as reconciliation to passcoronavirus relief and other measures to shore up Obamacare. - Both Republicans and Democrats have used reconciliation for decades to pass their priorities without drawing support from the other party.
Democrats are likely to maintain control of the House after Election Day, according to most election forecasts. But they could also win a slim majority in the Senate if Democrats pick up at least four seats, which would give them full control of Congress.
Senate control will likely come down to a handful of hotly contested races, so the size of a Democratic majority likely wouldn't be enough to cross the 60-vote threshold most legislation needs to pass the chamber. But there is a legislative vehicle Democrats are starting to say they will deploy to pass several measures.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the door on Monday to using a process known as reconciliation to pass coronavirus relief and strengthen the Affordable Care Act without drawing Republican support.
"We'll almost certainly be passing a reconciliation bill, not only for the Affordable Care Act but for what we may want to do further on the pandemic and some other issues that relate to the well-being of the American people," Pelosi said in a call organized by Protect Our Care, a liberal group.
Reconciliation allows tax and spending legislation to be approved by a simple majority vote, fast-tracking the process. However, a bill can't alter regulations or reform certain programs, such as Social Security.
Both Republicans and Democrats have used reconciliation to push through their priorities without support from the other party since it was introduced over four decades ago. Democrats did in 2010 to help pass the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Then Republicans employed it to approve the 2017 tax cuts, which slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and provided temporary benefits for people.
Reconciliation could represent an appealing alternative to eliminating the filibuster, a procedure the party out of power generally uses to block legislation. Some Democrats are urging presidential nominee Joe Biden to scrap it if he wins and Republicans pose a significant obstacle to enacting his agenda.
Democrats have long sought to enact a large coronavirus relief bill, but Senate Republicans repeatedly dismissed their plans as too costly. The latest $2.2 trillion plan includes another round of $1,200
If Democrats retake the Senate, and Biden defeats President
Earlier this year, Biden called for a stimulus "a hell of a lot bigger" than the $2 trillion spent under the CARES Act in March. He's also previously supported a pricier $3.4 trillion version of the economic rescue package that the Democratic-led House approved in May.
Democrats slimmed down their original bill in a bid to restart negotiations with the White House that are stalled. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan group, released an analysis last week putting the likely price tag on a Biden stimulus plan at $3 trillion.