A Republican senator severely delayed passage of a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package Thursday by insisting that the entire 628-page bill be read out loud.
In protest of the bill, which had been expected to pass after a marathon round of votes overnight Thursday, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., objected to waiving the reading of the legislation.
Two Senate clerks — John Merlino and Mary Anne Clarkson — and other members of the secretary of the Senate’s office took shifts reading the bill. The effort, which began at around 3:30 p.m., didn’t wrap up until more than 10 hours later — 10 hours, 43 minutes and 9 seconds to be exact.
