The Senate is gearing up for an overnight marathon voting session as Republicans look to clear a key hurdle, known as a vote-a-rama, on the path to delivering President Trump a major legislative win in his first year back in office.

The vote-a-rama refers to a blitz of successive votes on amendments to the budget resolution, which top Republicans have indicated will begin Thursday and could last into the wee hours of Friday morning.

Democrats oppose the Senate GOP’s budget resolution, which will pave the way for passing Trump’s agenda on border security, defense and energy, and members of both parties could offer amendments.

The tools being used by the GOP are known as the budget reconciliation process, and they allow the Senate majority to pass legislation that cannot be filibustered.

It’s the same process used by the GOP to pass the Trump tax cuts through the Senate in 2017, and it also was used by Democrats for major legislation under President Biden and President Obama.

So, what happens?

The Senate generally defines vote-a-ramas on its website as “legislation the Senate voted on 15 or more times in one day.”

According to the Senate’s records, there have been more than 60 such sessions since the 1970s, often when lawmakers passed legislation using reconciliation.

The vote-a-rama on Thursday will be the first time this has happened in the newly sworn-in Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-seat majority.

During the session, senators are expected to vote on a list of amendments to the resolution through the night — much of which aren’t expected to pass.

Democrats’ time to shine

While members from both sides can offer amendments, Democrats have the chance to offer legislation that otherwise might not have gotten a vote in the GOP-led Senate.

© The Hill