On February 27, 2021 the House of Representatives passed H.R.
1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The Senate will now
consider the package with the goal of passing it before March 14,
2021, when enhanced federal unemployment benefits expire.
On February 19, 2021 the House Committee on the Budget
unveiled
S. Con. Res. 5, the COVID-19 reconciliation package for the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This package comprises the
$1.9 trillion proposal from the White House and Congressional
Democrats who intend to pass the package using the accelerated
budget procedure known as reconciliation. Initiating reconciliation
procedures in the Senate allows the majority party to pass certain
legislation by a simple majority vote, versus the typical 60-vote
threshold for most legislation. However, for legislation to be
passed via reconciliation, it must conform to certain budgetary
rules, known broadly as the
Byrd rule. This has implications for a number of
