Schumer mulls obscure procedural maneuver to pass Biden's infrastructure bill

Washington — As Congress pursues President Biden's ambitious legislative agenda, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is mulling the use of an obscure procedural maneuver that would allow for the president's massive infrastructure bill to pass without any Republican votes. Mr. Biden introduced the first part of his two-pronged infrastructure package on Wednesday.

Although Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the White House, their hold on the Senate in particular is tenuous with a 50-seat majority. Most legislation requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate, and Democrats are unlikely to get Republican support for their more ambitious and expensive proposals. Absent of eliminating the filibuster, which would allow legislation to advance with a simple majority, Democrats have few options for passing their priorities without any Republican votes. One such path is budget reconciliation, a procedural maneuver which allows for budget-related items to pass with a simple majority. Congress used budget reconciliation to pass Mr. Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan earlier this month without any Republican votes.