During a rare Sunday session, John Kennedy, R-La., asked unanimous consent to pass a proposal (S. Res. 526) to change the Senate rules. S. Res. 526 would require senators to wait until a government shutdown ended before receiving their pay. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, objected to Kennedy’s request and then left the floor.
Kennedy’s subsequent effort to offer a motion he “made up” and his exchange with the presiding officer show how the Senate’s rules give individual senators the power to force a vote on any question.
Kennedy could have advanced S. Res. 526 - and his made-up motion - using those rules rather than requesting unanimous consent.
