Sep 24, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Senate GOP ready to fast-track spending vote

Stef W. Kight

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., leaves a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on the negative effects of Project 2025, — Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Here's the backstory on why Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was just able to announce a fast-track vote Wednesday on the government funding bill: Republican senators emerged from their weekly lunch Tuesday ready to move it along.

Why it matters: Lawmakers were eager to get home — especially those facing tough re-election races or whose states may be hit by an approaching hurricane.

Zoom in: National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) led the charge against pushing for politically hot amendments that would delay the process, multiple sources familiar with what happened at lunch tell Axios.

Even some of the usuals who tend to embrace stalling tactics — such as Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — did not object.
Republicans were concerned about giving vulnerable Democrats like Sens. Jon Tester (Mont.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Bob Casey (Pa.) free votes that could win them political points on amendments that won't pass anyway.

The bottom line: Even if Republicans had managed to reach an agreement to vote on an amendment with a 50-vote threshold, they were looking at an attendance problem.

Florida Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott needed to get back to their state ahead of an expected hurricane and Sen. JD Vance was still out on the campaign trail with former President Trump.

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Senate GOP ready to fast-track spending vote

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