The Senate is voting Thursday on a bill aimed at countering China’s global economic and political influence. But despite the bill’s bipartisan sponsorship and a lengthy amendment process, last-minute opposition nearly imperiled its chances.
The Senate voted this week on multiple amendments to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, including votes on several amendments late Wednesday night. The Senate opened a cloture vote on the bill shortly after 11:00 on Thursday morning, which limits debate before a final vote. The bill remained open for more than three hours as negotiations on the bill continued behind the scenes over including more amendments.
The bill needed 60 votes to invoke cloture, and Democrats have a 50-seat majority — meaning that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer needed support from at least ten Republicans in order for the legislation to advance. Several Republicans agreed to support cloture after a deal to vote on two more amendments was reached.
Many Republicans have been particularly frustrated about the lack of a vote on a bipartisan trade amendment by GOP Senator Mike Crapo and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking member and chair of the Senate Finance Committee respectively. In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said “the Senate’s bipartisan work is simply not completed,” noting that Crapo and Wyden’s amendment had not received a vote.
“Republicans don’t want some big fight over this. We’d like to see an outcome, a bipartisan outcome,” McConnell said. “But the Democratic leader should not try to force a cloture vote prematurely before members are satisfied that our work is finished.”
But hasty negotiations resulted in agreement to vote on the Wyden and Crapo amendment, which would extend trade preferences and tariff relief. The Senate will also vote on an amendment proposed by GOP Senator Marco Rubio.
Some Republicans had grumbled that there haven’t been enough votes on amendments for the bill, the base of which was written by Schumer and GOP Senator Todd Young. The Senate has voted on nearly 20 amendments for the bill.
“Senator Schumer promised us an open amendment process. Open amendment process to me doesn’t mean that he gets to dictate how many get offered, it means senators have a opportunity to offer their amendments and get votes. And I don’t know what people are afraid of,” GOP Senator John Cornyn told reporters on Thursday before the deal was reached.
The delay in the cloture vote hindered the progress of another bill which would create a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Senate cannot vote on that bill until it completes the process for the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. If the Senate does not get to the commission bill by the end of this week, it will not be taken up until early June, as the Senate is in recess next week.
However, even if the Senate does vote to invoke cloture the commission bill today, it is unlikely to garner enough Republican support to advance.
