The deal, which was approved by the entire Senate after being hotlined, will postpone the final procedural votes and the final up-or-down vote on a bill to improve U.S. competitiveness with China until next month.
But it means that Republicans won’t be able to delay consideration of the China bill into the holiday weekend, which may have forced Democrats to vote on the Jan. 6 commission bill in the middle of the night, when few people would be paying attention.
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“It’s something we proposed. It assures a vote on the Jan. 6 commission in the next hour, it assures it occurs in the light of day, not at 3 a.m. in the morning,” Schumer announced on the Senate floor.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is vowing to move forward with two key bills after multiple GOP setbacks pushed the Senate into a rare Friday session.
Schumer, in a letter to Senate Democrats, signaled that the measure could come back up after most Senate Republicans voted against it in a key test vote Friday afternoon. Senators should rest assured that the events of January 6th will be investigated and that as Majority Leader, I reserve the right to force the Senate to vote on the bill again at the appropriate time, Schumer wrote.
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The letter was shared shortly after Republicans successfully launched their first filibuster of the 117th Congress, pouring fuel on progressive calls for Democrats to get rid of the 60-vote hurdle needed to pass most legislation.