Can the Senate pass the Build Back Better bill before Christmas?
In a Monday "Dear Colleague" letter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) reiterated his goal for the Senate to finish and pass the Build Back Better bill "before Christmas and get it to the president's desk." But with Christmas Eve only 18 days away, can Democrats pull it off? Here's why Schumer's goal might be more optimistic than it appears, per Politico.
For one thing, four of the 12 Senate committees working to draft the bill have yet to submit final text to the Parliamentarian, "which needs to consider whether any provisions violate the Byrd rule; to the Congressional Budget Office, which needs to score the legislation; and to Senate Republicans, who will be sure to scrub it for political landmines," Politico writes.
On top of that, the Senate will also be dedicating time this week to nominations from President Biden and National Defense Authorization Act negotiations, for which Schumer on Monday told senators to "prepare for potential weekend votes."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Simultaneously, the death of former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kansas), for whom there will be services at the Capitol this week, may cause some "legislative delay," writes Politico. And if that weren't enough, Congress still needs to address the debt ceiling by Dec. 15, and buffer in enough time for the reconciliation bill to return to the House for yet another vote, considering it's highly unlikley the Senate passes the House version without any changes.
Phew — on that note, godspeed.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
