A progressive group is pressuring Democratic lawmakers to use every tactic available to obstruct passage of the Republican budget reconciliation bill, which contains large tax cuts for the wealthy funded by slashing social safety net programs.
The organization Indivisible put out an urgent call Wednesday, pressing voters to help "disrupt" what it called the "Republican tax scam." The group urged Democrats to call their senators, encouraging them to gum up the works using procedural tactics to stop the bill, which has been described as even more extreme and regressive than the one already passed in the House.
"Your Democratic senators can make voting on this bill slower, more divisive, and more politically damaging than any vote these Republicans have ever taken," an email from the group said. "In fact, that's what this moment demands of them and what we expect."
The Senate's version of the bill introduces new cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that will hit parents, homeless individuals, and veterans even harder than the House version. It also contains new provisions, including one that would eliminate taxes on many firearms and accessories.
Indivisible noted that the "vote-a-rama" process could begin as soon as Thursday. During this arcane stage of budget reconciliation, senators may propose unlimited amendments to a bill, each of which is voted on in succession.
Using the vote-a-rama has become a tried-and-true strategy for minority parties to drag out votes for these omnibus packages, which can pass with just a simple majority and cannot be filibustered. In 2022, Republicans used the tactic to delay voting for 16 hours in hopes of picking off just one Democrat who could tank Biden's climate, energy, and tax package.
With Democrats in the minority, Indivisible hopes they will launch a similar marathon. The group encouraged constituents not only to call their senators, but also to submit their own amendments for senators to introduce.
The organization gave examples of what sorts of things to propose: Amendments "to transfer all the dollars for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] funding to NPR and PBS," "to tax recipients of luxury jets gifted by foreign governments at 100% of the jet's market value," or "to cut every lawmaker's salary and per diem by the same percentage SNAP gets cut."
"Some of your suggestions may be silly. Some may be poignant. Some will be genuinely good policy. Pretty much all of them will be better than the disaster MAGA Republicans want to force on us," the email said.
By delaying the process long enough, the group hopes to buy time to fracture the Republican coalition, which is already divided over some provisions of the bill.
Several Republican senators—including Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)—have voiced concerns about how cuts to Medicaid would affect funding for rural hospitals.
With enough time, Indivisible hopes to use this and other issues as a wedge to pick off enough GOP defectors to stop the bill's passage altogether.
"The longer we can drag this process out, the more we can toxify a bill that Republicans are already publicly tearing apart," Indivisible said. "The more we can toxify the bill, the better the chance we can ultimately defeat it."
