Friday, January 1, 2021

4:12 p.m. The Senate adjourned until 11:45 a.m. Sunday.

4:05 p.m. During wrap-up, Senator Boozman secured for consent of these items:

— S. 5086 on the sharing of employees among senators;

— S.Res. 406, recognizing ASEAN’s 60 years of work for peace;

— H.R. 2444, on State Department loans for arms sales;

— S.Res. 684, on violence in Cameroon, as amended by Senator Risch;

— H.R. 4508, to expand scholarship programs for Pakistani women;

— After adjournment the Senate reconvene and adjourn at 11:45 a.m., pro forma, Sunday, then reconvene at noon Sunday for the new Congress.

2:33 p.m. By a vote of 81 to 13 the Senate overrode the president’s veto of H.R.8395, the fiscal year 2021 authorization bill for the Department of Defense.

NAYS: Democrats Booker, Markey, Merkley, Warren, Wyden; independent Sanders; Republicans Braun, Cotton, Cruz, Hawley, Kennedy, Lee, Paul.

NOT VOTING: Republicans Gardner, Graham, Loeffler, Perdue, Sasse; Democrat Jones.

1:39 p.m. Vote began on veto override.

1:36 p.m. By a vote of 80 to 12, the Senate invoked cloture for the vote to override the president’s veto of the fiscal year 2021 defense authorization bill.

NAYS — Six Democrats: Booker, Markley, Merkley, Van Hollen, Warren, Wyden; independent Sanders; five Republicans: Braun, Hawley, Kennedy, Lee and Paul.

NOT VOTING: Republicans Cotton, Cruz, Gardner, Graham, Loeffler, Perdue and Sasse; Democrat Jones.

1:00 p.m. Senate now voting on motion to invoke cloture on passage of H.R. 6395 – NDAA veto override bill.

12:52 p.m . Senator Reed spoke about the defense authorization.

12:49 p.m. Senator Inhofe spoke about the defense veto override.

12:44 p.m. Senator Hawley objected.

12:38 p.m. Senator Sanders propounded another consent request on the $2,000 measure.

12:28 a.m. Senators Durbin, Thune ad Sanders discussed the relief payment measure.

12:18 p.m. Senator Sanders spoke about the $2,000-payment measure.

12:12 p.m. Senator Thune objected.

12:05 p.m. Minority Leader Schumer sought consent for passage of the measure to provide individual relief payments of $2,000.

12:02 p.m. Majority Leader McConnell spoke about the state of the economy, the pandemic relief package and the pending vote to override the president’s veto of the 2021 defense authorization.

The Senate convened at noon.