As senators headed Wednesday into their latest “vote-a-rama,” one thing was clear: Not many of them were happy.
The procedural hallmark involves a series of unlimited amendment votes and is often bemoaned because of its marathon pace, twilight-hour votes and embarrassingly large pizza deliveries to the U.S. Capitol. But Republicans’ move to rely on a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill to fund federal agencies outside of the regular appropriations process has added a sour note — and warnings of a slippery slope.
Connecticut Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, said, “Clearly Democrats are going to use this to our benefit” in the future.
