WASHINGTON (AP) — With the Senate split 50-50, leaders of the Democratic majority are looking for ways to advance their priorities past opponents. Typically a 60-vote threshold is needed to overcome opposition from a filibuster, which can be waged by a single senator objecting to halt action. This week, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that one tool, budget reconciliation, could be used more often than expected to pass certain measures with a 51-vote threshold. That could open new opportunities for approving not only President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, but other legislation on a party-line vote.
