McConnell and the GOP are preparing a barrage of budget amendments to water down Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus package

• Mitch McConnell is bombarding Democrats with amendments to Thursday’s budget resolution.
• Republicans have filed at least 400 amendments at the measure, which is key to passing Biden’s stimulus plan.
• The process is a traditional response to the use of budget reconciliation, and is usually painful.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is preparing a welter of amendments to a budget resolution essential to passing President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus package in a grueling “vote-a-rama” on Thursday.

Democrats have signaled that they will press ahead to pass the $1.9 trillion stimulus without GOP support using budget reconciliation, a process that prevents filibustering and would allow the bill to pass with a simple majority of 51 votes.

However, the price for using this measure is having to receive a barrage of amendments from the GOP to the budget resolution needed to pass the stimulus, which is likely to keep the Senate debating for hours. 

Republicans had filed at least 400 amendments by Wednesday night, Roll Call reported. 

“Senate Republicans will be ready and waiting with a host of amendments to improve the rushed procedural step that’s being jammed through,” McConnell told the Senate floor Tuesday.

—Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) February 3, 2021

“We’ll be getting senators on the record about whether taxpayers should fund checks for illegal immigrants, whether Democrats should raise taxes on small businesses in the midst of this historic crisis, and whether generous federal funding should pour into school districts where the unions refuse to let schools open,” he continued.

“And this is just a small taste.”

Other proposed amendments include measures to preserve former President Donald Trump’s southern border wall and a plan to reverse Biden’s decision to halt the Keystone XL pipeline, according to Politico. 

Faced with accusations of a lack of bipartisanship, the White House has signaled that Biden is open to some adjustments to the stimulus from the GOP, but that flexibility may be limited. 

The president has rejected outright a slimmed-down proposal from Republicans on Monday, which was priced at around a third of the cost.

But there is room for adjustment on the threshold for receiving $1,400 stimulus checks, currently aimed at those earning $75,000 or less. 

A “vote-a-rama” followed the last use of budget reconciliation in 2017, when the Trump administration passed a sweeping series of tax breaks without Democratic support. 

This process is viewed by lawmakers as not only a way to shape legislation, but a prime site for point-scoring and mining footage for future attack ads.

McConnell hinted at this by painting a picture of what he believes voters will see this time around.

“The American people will see Republicans are focused on smart and responsible policies to reopen the country,” he said, adding that Democrats will be seen as “desperate” to force through a “poorly-targeted borrowing spree.”