Kamala Harris wields her tie-break to pass Joe Biden's $1.9tn COVID package through Senate at 5.30 a.m. without any Republican support after night-long 'vote-a-rama'

 Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote early Friday morning on a budget plan that will allow passage of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package in coming weeks without Republican support.

Harris broke the 50-50 tie at 5:30 a.m., after senators worked through the night, casting 40 votes on a tranche of amendments as part of a 'vote-a-rama.'

'On this vote, the yeas for 50. The nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the concurrent resolution, as amended, is adopted,' Harris announced, gavelling the session to a close. 

It was the first time she had to use her power as president of the Senate to break a tie and move forward one of the Biden administration's top priorities. 

Biden's COVID relief plan still needs to be crafted but the early morning passage of the budget resolution has the administration in a good place for their proposal to become law. 

Republicans have opposed its $1.9 trillion price tag and complained the legislative tactic used by Congressional Democrats violates Biden's call for unity.

Democrats point out the COVID relief plan still needs to be written, which would give Republicans time for input. Although, with Democrats holding the majority in both chambers of Congress, Republican power is limited.

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Vice President Kamala Harris (pictured last night) broke a 50-50 tie by casting a vote in favor of the Democratic measure, sending it to the House of Representatives for final approval

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Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (pictured on Thursday) said the vote was 'giant first step' toward passing the kind of comprehensive coronavirus aid bill that Biden has put at the top of his legislative agenda

This was a 'giant first step' toward passing the kind of comprehensive coronavirus aid bill that Biden has put at the top of his legislative agenda, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said when the resolution passed.

Shortly before the final vote, Democrats flexed their muscle by offering an amendment reversing three earlier votes that Republicans won: preventing checks from going to illegal aliens; support for fracking; and support for the Keystone XL Pipeline, which Biden had ended work on.   

It was Biden's win of the White House, along with Democratic victories in two Georgia Senate elections, that gave Democrats control of the Senate.

'And with Vice President @KamalaHarris casting the crucial tie-breaking vote, at 5:30am after 14 hours of debate, the Senate has passed a $1.9 trillion budget for COVID relief. Georgia voters made this possible,' Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia tweeted. 

The budget resolution contained a provision put in by Democrats to move Biden's COVID plan through Congress with a process known as 'reconciliation.'

And while reconciliation is a nifty tool that shrinks the required vote total from 60 to 51 senators for passage, it also includes a painful legislation process known as the 'vote-a-rama.' 

In a vote-a-rama, any senator can file an amendment to the resolution. 

Republicans, who oppose Biden's plan due to its hefty price tag, vowed to inflict maximum pain, filing more than 500 amendments that had to be voted in the marathon Senate session. 

But, now, reconciliation will allow the Senate's 48 Democrats and two independents to approve the relief package - although Harris may have to provide another tie-breaker. 

Before voting on final passage of the budget proposal, the Senate approved a series of amendments to the budget outline, which had already passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. 

As a result, the House must now vote again to accept the Senate's changes, which could occur as early as Friday.

For example, the Senate added a measure calling for increased funding for rural hospitals whose resources are strained by the pandemic.

But as the hours wore on and dozens of amendments were offered, with exhausted senators mainly disposing of Republican ideas.

These included ending all U.S. foreign aid and prohibiting Congress from expanding the U.S. Supreme Court beyond its current nine justices.  

Despite the marathon debating session, Schumer took to Twitter to praise the speed at which the Senate passed the budget resolution.

'The Senate passed the budget resolution to quickly deliver more emergency COVID relief,' he wrote in the early hours of Friday morning.

'Our caucus worked together in unity to respond boldly to this crisis, and we are grateful President Biden put together the American Rescue Plan.

'We will keep working hard to make it law.' 

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders also tweeted praising the bill, writing: 'Today, with the passage of this budget resolution to provide relief to our working families, we have the opportunity not only to address the pandemic and the economic collapse—we have the opportunity to give hope to the American people and restore faith in our government.'

Despite the 51 votes, some Democrats still said they had some issues with the details of the plan, including West Virginia's Sen. Joe Manchin, who along with Maine Republican Susan Collins was behind one of the amendments that passed.

The pair proposed a ceiling barring 'upper-income' taxpayers from receiving stimulus checks.

'I don't think a single person on this floor would disagree to target the relief to our neighbors who are struggling,' Manchin said during the lengthy debate.

'There are other families who have not missed a single paycheck as a result of this pandemic. It does not make sense to send a check to those individuals.'

Ahead of the marathon vote, President Joe Biden on Wednesday reassured Democrats he has their back as they lay the groundwork to muscle through his proposal - without Republican votes if necessary.

Biden called into the House Democratic Caucus weekly meeting on Wednesday morning, where he reassured his party a Republican proposal for $600 billion in relief is 'not even in the cards.' 

'I'm not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to the American people,'  he said. 

The president, in his five minute pep talk, told House Democrats to stick together.

'I have your back and you will have mine,' he said according to Politico.   

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President Joe Biden doubled down on his $1.9 trillion COVID relief package on Wednesday, reassuring Democrats he has their back as they muscle it through Congress

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President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Democratic Senators in the Oval Office on Wednesday about COVID relief

Biden also vowed to boost stimulus checks to $2,000, by adding another $1,400 in direct payments as part of his relief measure. 

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also met with Democratic senators on the COVID relief proposal in the Oval Office, where the president expressed optimism that some Republicans will support his plan.

'I think we'll get some Republicans,' he said. 

After the meeting, Schumer said that 'there's agreement, universal agreement we must go big and bold.'

He echoed Biden's hope that Republicans would join them.  

'We want to do it bipartisan, but we must be strong. We cannot dawdle, we cannot delay, we cannot dilute, because the troubles that this nation has and the opportunities that we can bring them are so large,' he said. 

'So we're gonna all work together with this president, we are united as one big whole package, working with our Republican friends, when we can.'

Biden and Harris will meet with House Democrats on Friday.