Quote:President Biden, joined by the top Democrat leaders, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are determined to pass their massively expensive reconciliation package, and they’re planning on using the just-agreed upon bipartisan infrastructure deal to force it through, according to Politico.

Because Biden and his cohorts have been unable to persuade Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.VA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to openly support the reconciliation package, they have another plan. The Senate is expected to create the text for the bipartisan infrastructure deal it just agreed upon, thus readying it for passage in July, concurrent with the House preparing its version. Normally, the Senate and House would conference and approve the combined bill, then send it to Biden for his signature before Congress recesses in August.

But the Democratic leadership has another plan: they are going to stall the infrastructure bill long enough so that Democrats can pass their budget resolutions in both houses of Congress, thus preparing the way for the reconciliation package. Politico reported:

That budget will include instructions for each committee to tackle everything from corporate tax hikes to climate change, education, paid family leave and the like — in other words, everything Democrats want that’s not included in the bipartisan infrastructure package. The panels will work over the August recess to draft the massive reconciliation bill, which Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT.) hopes will top $6 trillion.

By passing their budget resolutions, Democrats will be able to use the reconciliation tool. That way, by September, after the congressional recess, Democrats can pass not only the infrastructure bill, but also the massive reconciliation package. “The new deadline for getting both to Biden’s desk, per Democratic leaders, is Sept. 30, when a bunch of surface transportation programs expire,” Politico noted, adding that one possible fly in the ointment is the possibility that the Congressional Budget Office may decide that the infrastructure bill is simply too expensive.

Here is how budget reconciliation works, and why the fact that the GOP lost control of the Senate by losing both Senate seats in Georgia and leaving a 50-50 tie in the 2020 election was critical:

Essentially, reconciliation is used to make passing legislation easier in the Senate. In the Senate, a party can filibuster an issue, holding it up. It requires 60 votes, called a supermajority, to override a filibuster. But certain budgetary legislation, using the reconciliation process, is permitted to pass by a simple majority of 51 votes, (or in this case, 50 Democrat votes plus Vice President Harris’ vote).

Usually a president submits a budget early in the year to Congress, triggering each house to propose a budget resolution. For the reconciliation process to commence, both houses of Congress must pass identical budget resolutions. When the agreed-upon resolution reaches the Senate, there’s a 20-hour time limit on debate. No filibuster is allowed after the debate, although senators can offer amendments until they get too tired to stop.

Congress can pass as many as three reconciliation bills per year, one on spending, one on revenue, and one on the federal debt limit, although spending and revenue are often combined.