Abandoning efforts to reach a deal on amendment votes, Senate leaders decided to power through opponents’ speechifying in hopes of clearing a $95.3 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan by Tuesday night.
The outcome has never been in doubt, especially after the Senate voted 80-19 to limit debate on the long-stalled aid package earlier on Tuesday. But Senate leaders had been seeking an expedited timeline for final passage by achieving unanimous consent on amendment votes for a measure that faces opposition from both conservative Republicans and some progressive Democrats.
By Tuesday afternoon, that effort had collapsed and instead party leaders on both sides of the aisle decided to simply hand post-cloture time over to senators who wanted to speak for up to an hour each on the topic. Senators briefed on the procedure said they expected the bill’s critics to exhaust themselves by around 10 p.m. Tuesday, and without any additional speakers to claim floor time, final passage would come shortly thereafter.
