<p>U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday that Democrats may try to pass much of President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief bill using a process that would bypass a Republican filibuster and could pass with a majority vote.</p>.<p>Biden wants Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief proposal, but many Republicans have balked at the price tag. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.</p>.<p>Sixty votes are needed to overcome a procedural hurdle known as a filibuster to pass legislation.</p>.<p>Reconciliation allows major legislation to pass the Senate on a simple majority.</p>.<p>"We can get a lot of the COVID bill done with reconciliation, and that's something we certainly will use if they try to block this immediate COVID bill," Schumer told MSNBC.</p>.<p>Biden, who took office last Wednesday, campaigned on a promise to take aggressive action on the pandemic, which his Republican predecessor, President Donald Trump, often downplayed. </p>
<p>U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday that Democrats may try to pass much of President Joe Biden's coronavirus relief bill using a process that would bypass a Republican filibuster and could pass with a majority vote.</p>.<p>Biden wants Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief proposal, but many Republicans have balked at the price tag. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.</p>.<p>Sixty votes are needed to overcome a procedural hurdle known as a filibuster to pass legislation.</p>.<p>Reconciliation allows major legislation to pass the Senate on a simple majority.</p>.<p>"We can get a lot of the COVID bill done with reconciliation, and that's something we certainly will use if they try to block this immediate COVID bill," Schumer told MSNBC.</p>.<p>Biden, who took office last Wednesday, campaigned on a promise to take aggressive action on the pandemic, which his Republican predecessor, President Donald Trump, often downplayed. </p>