The final vote reflected the unusual coalition brought together in opposition to imposing the agreement. Multiple liberal senators, including Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, joined some of the most conservative Republicans, such as Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, in voting “no.”
“If DC Republicans want to be a working class party, they might want to do something for workers,” Mr. Hawley wrote on Twitter. He was among the conservative senators who backed the paid leave measure, but opposed imposing the agreement without it.
To quell concerns in both parties and speed the measure through the Senate, leaders agreed to first consider the G.O.P. proposal for a cooling-off period and the House-passed proposal to add the paid leave.
“Less than 36 hours ago, we were asked to decide on issues that are complicated, that are important, without necessary deliberations,” said Senator Dan Sullivan, Republican of Alaska, who sponsored the deadline extension. He said his measure would “give negotiators more time to get to an agreement and it will not make Congress the entity of last resort in these kind of negotiations.”
Other senators, including some Republicans, said the threat of damage to the nation’s economy at a moment when inflation remains high drove their votes to implement the tentative agreement.
“While this position is undesirable, Congress must act,” Senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, both Republicans, wrote in a joint letter to their colleagues. “Implementing an agreement that roughly half of the unionized workers support, along with all their leadership, is the most responsible path forward.”
But Ms. Lummis and Mr. Cramer, like the majority of Republicans, argued against adding the paid leave proposal and said Congress should abide by the terms of the tentative agreement.
