See the Votes From the Senate’s Amendment ‘Vote-a-Rama’ on Democrats’ $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan

What’s the story?

• The Senate wrapped up its third “vote-a-rama” of the year early Wednesday morning before it passed Democrats’ budget resolution that would allow the reconciliation process to be used for a $3.5 trillion spending package. 
• The vote-a-rama began at 1:40pm on Tuesday and concluded at 3:58am on Wednesday. It featured 43 roll call votes, which places the August 2021 vote-a-rama in a three-way tie for the second-most roll call votes in a vote-a-rama, just behind the 44 roll call votes in a March 2008 vote-a-rama.
• Amendments adopted during this vote-a-rama are technically non-binding for committees receiving reconciliation instructions and drafting the reconciliation bill. However, Sen. Joe Manchin’s opposition (D-WV) prevented the Senate from adopting a “wraparound” substitute amendment for the budget resolution like it did earlier this year, so it will go to the House with adopted amendments in the bill.
• Regardless, the votes are part of senators’ voting records, and this vote-a-rama serves as a preview of what will likely occur later this year. When Democrats put their budget reconciliation bill on the Senate floor, another vote-a-rama will occur, at which time the amendment votes will be binding and alter the underlying legislation as they’re considered and approved. 
• We’ve tracked the amendment votes from this vote-a-rama below in order of most recent to oldest.

AMENDMENT VOTES

Adoption of S.Con.Res. 14, as amended - Adopted 50-49.

Kennedy #3753 - Offered by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to maintain the current tax treatment of like kind exchanges. Adopted by voice vote.

Lee #3815 - Offered by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), this amendment would create a point of order against legislation that would cause a net increase in spending unless the Director of the Congressional Budget Office certifies that inflation is below 3%. Not adopted 49-50.

Cruz #3681 - Offered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), this amendment would create a point of order against legislation that would provide funding for items related to electric cars or subsidize their importation from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. Not adopted 50-49 (60 votes required).

Sullivan #3626 - Offered by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to restrict funding for the United Nations Human Rights Council until the State Dept. certifies that no members of the organization are U.S.-designated state sponsors of terrorism. Not adopted 49-50.

Grassley #3650 - Offered by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prohibit unauthorized immigrants with criminal records from receiving conditional or lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. Not adopted 49-50.

Hyde-Smith #3568 - Offered by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to reduce federal funding (except for law enforcement grants) for localities that decline to prosecute violent crimes. Not adopted 47-52.

• Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined Democrats in opposing the amendment.

Hagerty #3742 - Offered by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide resources to detain and deport a higher number of unauthorized immigrants who have been convicted of a crime. Adopted 53-46.

• Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Republicans in supporting the amendment.

Daines #3292 - Offered by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prevent tax increases on small businesses. Adopted by voice vote.

Inhofe #3331 - Offered by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to improve health programs which may include prohibiting funding for abortions of children with Down syndrome or other chromosomal conditions. Not adopted 49-50.

Lee #3141 - Offered by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for studying and providing tax equivalency under the payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) program. Adopted 51-48.

• Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Republicans in supporting the amendment.

Kennedy #3578 - Offered by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide funding for Secure Rural Schools and the Payment in Lieu of Taxes programs. Not adopted 48-51.

Marshall #3797 - Offered by Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect migrants and local communities against COVID-19. Adopted 88-11.

Hoeven #3243 - Offered by Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to improve the reliability of the electrical grid and prevent blackouts by using fossil fuels when needed. Adopted 52-47.

• Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) joined Republicans in supporting the amendment.

Hawley #2734 - Offered by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide for the hiring of 100,000 new law enforcement officers. Adopted 95-3.

Cruz #3781 - Offered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide for the expulsion of unauthorized immigrants who may contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Not adopted 49-50.

Blackburn #3062 - Offered by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), this amendment would strike the Senate emergency legislation provision. Not adopted 49-50.

Cotton #3680 - Offered by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prohibit the teaching of critical race theory in pre-kindergarten programs and elementary and secondary schools. Adopted 50-49.

• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) joined Republicans by voting in favor.

Moran #3795 - Offered by Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to provide for immigration enforcement and address the humanitarian crisis at the border. Adopted 76-23.

Romney #3652 - Offered by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), this amendment would strike language including trillions of dollars in job-killing tax hikes. Not adopted 49-50.

Baldwin #3648 - Offered by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), this amendment would establish a reserve fund related to Great Lakes ice-breaking operational improvements. Adopted 85-13.

Paul #3150 - Offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), this amendment in nature of a substitute would replace the text of the bill with a “five penny plan” that would balance the federal budget by reducing federal spending by 5.5 pennies for every dollar spent over the next five years. Not adopted 28-71.

Wyden #3805 - Offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to ensuring robust, secure, and humane supply chains by prohibiting the use of federal funds to purchase materials, technology, and critical minerals produced, manufactured, or mined with forced labor. Adopted by voice vote.

Sullivan #3627 - Offered by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prohibit renewal energy projects receiving federal funds and subsidies from purchasing materials, technology, and critical minerals produced in China. Adopted 90-9. 

Lankford #3792 - Offered by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prohibit federal funding for abortion. Adopted 50-49.

• Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) joined all Republicans in supporting the amendment.

Young #3444 - Offered by Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), this amendment would prevent tax increases that violate President Biden’s repeated promise to not impose a single penny in tax increases on people making less than $400,000 per year. Adopted 99-0.

Scott (FL) #3383 - Offered by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prevent U.S. tax dollars from benefiting terrorist organizations such as Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Adopted 99-0.

Ernst #3115 - Offered by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prohibit or limit the issuance of costly Clean Air Act permit requirements on farmers and ranchers in the U.S. or the imposition of new federal methane requirements. Adopted 66-33.

Fischer #3128 - Offered by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), this amendment would means-test electric vehicle tax credits to ensure high-income individuals do not get government subsidies to buy expensive luxury cars. Adopted 51-48.

• Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) joined Republicans by voting in favor.

Braun #3114 - Offered by Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to remove the American Rescue Plan’s prohibition against states and territories lowering their taxes. Adopted 86-13.

Boozman #3103 - Offered by Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to policies or legislation to prohibit the Dept. of Agriculture from making fossil fuel-burning power plants ineligible for financing. Adopted 53-46.

• Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Jon Tester (D-MT) joined Republicans in supporting this amendment.

Capito #3284 - Offered by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to support or expedite the deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration technologies. Adopted by voice vote.

Klobuchar #3731 - Offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), this amendment would establish a reserve fund to honor the law enforcement personnel who defended Congress and the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Adopted 99-0.

Tuberville #3113 - Offered by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to decrease federal funding for local jurisdictions that defund the police. Adopted 99-0.

Wyden #3569 - Offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), this amendment would establish a reserve fund to make the tax code more progressive. Not adopted 47-51.

• Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined Republicans in opposing this amendment.

Grassley #3251 - Offered by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), this amendment would prevent changes to the state and local tax (SALT) deduction that would primarily benefit wealthy taxpayers. Not adopted 48-51.

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joined Democrats in opposing this amendment.

Shelby #3293 - Offered by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), this amendment would provide $50 billion in funding to implement the 2018 National Defense Strategy by increasing naval ship construction and improving shipyards. Not adopted 46-53.

• Sens. Mike Braun (R-IN), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Rand Paul (R-KY) joined Democrats in opposing the amendment.

Rubio #3097 - Offered by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to facilitating internet service to Cuban citizens who’ve been deprived of the free flow of information by the illegitimate communist Cuban regime. Adopted by voice vote.

Scott (SC) #3073 - Offered by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to helping students ― particularly students who are low-income, minorities, or special needs, that suffered from school closures pushed by teachers’ unions that ignored science ― to reopen all schools for in-person learning 5 days a week in the 2021-2022 school year. Not adopted 49-50.

Cramer #3105 - Offered by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), this amendment would prohibit the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating rules or guidance that ban hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”), which is used in the extraction of oil and natural gas. Adopted 57-42.

• Seven Democrats joined GOP senators by voting in favor, including Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Bob Casey (D-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Jon Tester (D-MT).

Wyden #3365 - Offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect the privacy of American taxpayer and small business tax information while only reporting large financial account balances to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure tax evaders pay what they owe. Adopted 50-49.

Crapo #3099 - Offered by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund preventing the monitoring and reporting of American taxpayer information related to deposits and withdrawals made by an individual or business in savings, checking, or other accounts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Not adopted 49-50.

Hassan-Young #3278 - Offered by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to promote U.S. competitiveness and innovation by supporting research and development. Adopted by voice vote.

Lummis #3104 - Offered by Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), this amendment would cancel the Biden administration’s ban on oil and gas leasing on federal lands to reduce gas prices and reliance on energy from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel. Not adopted 49-50.

Cortez Masto #3317 - Offered by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund related to protecting family farms, ranches, and small businesses while ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share. Not adopted 49-50.

• Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) joined Republicans in opposing the amendment.

Thune #3106 - Offered by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), this amendment would protect generationally-owned family farms, ranches, and businesses from the “double death tax” so that they can transfer ownership or operations to family members based on the same tax principles that existed when operations began. Adopted 99-0.

Carper #3330 - Offered by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), this amendment would establish a deficit neutral reserve fund to address the crisis of climate change. Adopted 51-48.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) joined all Democrats in supporting the amendment.

Barrasso #3055 - Offered by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), this amendment would establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prohibit funding for the Green New Deal. Adopted 99-0.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Capitol: iStock.com / erick4x4)