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Senate passes government funding bill. House ready to move quickly [1]

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Date: 2022-12-22

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The must-pass omnibus bill to fund the federal government for this fiscal year appeared endangered late Wednesday night, with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons saying it was “hanging by a thread.” But, with lawmakers eager to head home for the holidays, the Senate got its act together early Thursday and moved forward, passing the bill 68-29 so that it can move on to the House.

Republican attacks on immigration proved a key holdup, with Sen. Mike Lee insisting on an amendment tying Homeland Security funding to Title 42, the Trump-era anti-asylum policy that continues to be fought out. Democrats eventually decided to offer a competing amendment that would also extend Title 42, but would likely fail while giving Democrats cover to vote against Lee’s amendment. That way, neither amendment wins but everyone who wants to look adequately mean to migrants can say they voted to extend Title 42. The Senate, man.

On Wednesday night, that was the issue that looked likely to take down funding for most of the federal government. Once it was worked out, the Senate started plowing through votes on 18 amendments total. A couple of those included big wins: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act got through 73-24, and the PUMP Act passed 92-5. Those measures require businesses to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers and expand the right to pump breast milk on the job, respectively. These are big improvements for pregnant workers and ones with newborns, and the votes weren’t even close, yet they had to be wedged in as last-minute amendments on a much bigger bill. Again I say, the Senate, man.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/22/2143305/-Senate-passes-government-funding-bill-House-ready-to-move-quickly

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