Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) is expected to file a cloture motion on the bill Thursday, setting up votes next week, but at least 10 Republicans will be needed to break the filibuster. Leading the story: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she and other senators working on the bill are working on a “consensus amendment” to address Republican senators’ concerns, specifically protecting the tax-exempt status of religious institutions.
Collins said it was “encouraging” that her Republican colleagues came up with proposals, rather than immediately ruling out passage of the bill. “We are moving forward, but it takes time … this process is taking longer than I expected,” he said. “I think we’re going to get it done,” Sen. Thom Tillis (RN.C.), who is working with Collins on the bill, said of the 10-vote Republican tussle. “The question is timing.”
What we’re hearing: The feedback process on the bill has grown more extensive over time, with a growing number of Republican senators proposing fixes of their own.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a key vote, told Axios that he has several of his own amendments, focused on “religious liberty,” that he wants incorporated into the bill. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is also circulating an amendment, along with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), to protect federal funding for religious nonprofits. “I’ve been involved in some of these efforts in this Congress, and I think there’s a way to go. We just have to address the concerns … so we can get it into the bill and get the support we need,” the senator said. Tillis.
The state of play: There is no indication right now that the Democratic leadership will postpone the vote if it takes more time to shore up GOP support.
“I haven’t heard that,” Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Axios when asked if the vote could be delayed. Tillis said the possibility of canceled sessions in the coming weeks threatens to make the schedule even more difficult: “The biggest problem we have now is that we’re hearing that a lot of October is going to go away – we’re not going to be in session.” “That would necessarily mean that we would have to do it after the election if we are not successful in the next two days,” he added.
Between the lines: Democrats see this vote as a win-win, allowing them to scuttle another bipartisan achievement if it passes and anger Republicans if it fails — all less than two months before the midterms.
“There are some dark forces trapped, embedded, in the MAGA Republicans, so many of whom are in this room, that want to take steps backwards,” Schumer said in a speech on Wednesday.
