Approval of the budget resolution starts reconciliation, which will allow Democrats to pass a coronavirus relief bill without GOP votes.
The House passed a budget resolution Wednesday, a key step as Democrats push toward a vote on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Approval of the measure allows Congress to move forward with reconciliation, through which Democrats can pass an aid bill without Republican support. The Senate is expected to approve a resolution later this week. Once both chambers pass a resolution, Democrats will set out to craft the rescue package they hope to pass in the coming weeks. Using reconciliation, the party can avoid the Senate filibuster and pass a bill with a simple majority. However, challenges await as Democrats cannot afford a single defection and reconciliation rules restrict what they can include in a bill. Democrats aim to approve a new aid package before March 14, when a $300 per week unemployment insurance supplement buoying millions of Americans will expire.
