Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT, L) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY, R).
- The Senate kicked off a "vote-a-rama" on Friday with a vote on a $US15 ($20) minimum wage.
- But proceedings ground to a halt over a last-minute clash on unemployment aid.
- Schumer said Democrats will approve the stimulus bill sometime this weekend.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
The Senate kicked off a "vote-a-rama" on Friday with a vote on the $US15 ($20)-per-hour minimum wage, but the proceedings quickly stalled out because of a clash over unemployment benefits in the Democratic relief package.
Senate Democrats made a last-minute change to the relief bill, reducing the federal unemployment benefit to $US300 ($391)-per-week instead of $US400 ($522). It would last through the end of September, and not August 29.
But Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia appeared to be reluctant to support the new plan, according to a person familiar with internal discussions. His resistance brought the proceedings to a halt for at least five hours.
The delay underscored the fragile nature of the new Democratic majority. Their one-vote majority in the Senate - with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker - means any Democratic-led legislative effort could be derailed without every Senate Democrat onboard.
"In a 50-50 Senate, every vote is precious. Every vote matters," Zach Moller, deputy director of economic policy at Third Way, a centrist think-tank, told Insider. "If Democrats want to control the bill, they need to have unanimity in their party."
A lengthy process likely to conclude over the weekend
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The "vote-a-rama" is a lengthy process in which some Democrats and Republicans will offer amendments to modify the $US1.9 ($2) trillion stimulus bill. Democrats finalized changes to the legislation in recent days, including tightening eligibility for a third stimulus check and adjusting aid formulas for state and local aid.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the procedure may stretch on for many hours. But Democrats were intent to approve the bill sometime over the weekend.
"The Senate is going to take a lot of votes. But we are going to power through and finish this bill, however long it takes," he said on Friday. "The American people are counting on us and our nation depends on it."
Senate Democrats opened the proceedings with an 11am vote on a $US15 ($20)-per-hour minimum wage. It was technically still ongoing as of Friday afternoon since Democrats were scrambling to draw Manchin's support for their unemployment plan.
The plan is set to be defeated in a 58-42 vote. All 50 Republican senators voted against it, plus seven Democrats and an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
The non-Republican senators in opposition were Jon Tester of Montana; Joe Manchin of West Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona; Chris Coons of Delaware; Tom Carper of Delaware; Angus King of Maine; Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; and Maggie Hassan of Maine.
The Senate parliamentarian struck that part of the relief legislation, ruling it as out of bounds with Senate guidelines last month. Sen. Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said Friday he believed the official was "dead wrong" in the move.
"It is an absurd process that we allow an unelected staffer ... to make a decision as to whether 30 million Americans get a pay raise or not," Sanders said during a floor speech.
Republicans are staunchly opposed to the $US15 ($20)-an-hour minimum wage in the Senate. They argue raising wages during a downturn would cost many jobs and worsen unemployment.
This story will be updated.