(CNN) Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the incoming chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said Sunday that Democrats would use a rare procedural tactic to pass major parts of a Covid-19 relief package if Republicans refuse to move on the measure. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union" that Democrats will use the move -- known as reconciliation -- "as soon as we possibly can" to pass the package by 51 votes in the Senate, rather than 60, if Republicans don't move the legislation. "What we cannot do is wait weeks and weeks and months and months to go forward. Republicans used the reconciliation process when they attempted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in 2017 in the Senate. The GOP successfully used the process months later to overhaul the country's tax code, which passed with just Republican votes.

Source: CNN January 24, 2021 16:30 UTC