Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that the Senate will vote on a major criminal justice reform bill in December, paving the way for an easing of America’s federal sentencing laws and handing a victory to President Donald Trump, who endorsed the legislation last month.
The Kentucky Republican announced on the floor of the Senate that his decision was made at Trump’s request, and followed unspecified changes to the bill.
Tensions about the legislation had escalated in recent days. Trump on Friday publicly called on McConnell to bring the bill to a vote. McConnell has been reluctant to do so, citing other pressing legislative matters and cautioning that there may not be enough votes.
Republicans have been sharply divided over the legislation, which could reduce penalties for drug offenders and increase judges’ discretion over mandatory minimums. But it has earned support from a broad coalition of lawmakers and activists, including from within the White House where Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner is a key proponent.
The United States Sentencing Commission estimates that roughly 2,250 inmates per year could have their sentences reduced under the reforms included in the bill, called the First Step Act.
The looming end of the year contributed to a frenzy to deliver a vote before a new Congress is seated. McConnell said that lawmakers should expect to work on the legislation over the holidays.
“Unless we approach all this work in a highly collaborative, productive way and take real advantage of unanimous consent to expedite proceedings, it is virtually certain that the Senate will need to be in session between Christmas and New Year’s in order to complete this work,” McConnell said.
Largely behind the scenes, Republicans have been proposing changes in recent weeks that could reduce the impact of the bill but generate more support from their caucus. Those changes include a broadening of the categories of offenders whose sentences could be reduced.
On Friday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, proposed an amendment that he said would exclude violent offenders from early release.
“I’m happy to report that, after working closely with the White House and the sponsors of this bill, they have decided to accept my amendment,” he said in a statement. “This new version of the bill resolves my concerns, and is one that I wholeheartedly support and cosponsor.”
It’s not clear how many Republicans will support the legislation. Sources told The Hill that the official Senate whip count stands at 16 Republicans in favor as of Sunday, though alternative counts put the number at as high as 30 out of the 51 GOP members of the Senate.
Lawmakers are expected to continue to hammer out the details of the legislation into the New Year. McConnell advised the chamber Tuesday to “prepare for a very, very long month.”
— CNBC’s Carmin Chappell contributed to this report.
