In a budget ritual, senators plunged into a "vote-a-rama," a nonstop parade of messaging amendments that often becomes a painful all-night ordeal.

This time, the Senate held more than 40 roll calls by the time it approved the measure at around 4 a.m. EDT Wednesday, more than 14 hours after the procedural wretchedness began.

With the budget resolution largely advisory, the goal of most amendments was not to win but to force the other party's vulnerable senators to cast troublesome votes that can be used against them in next year's elections for congressional control.

One amendment may have boomeranged after the Senate voted 99-0 for a proposal by freshman Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., to curb federal funds for any municipalities that defund the police. That idea has been rejected by all but the most progressive Democrats, but Republicans have persistently accused them anyway of backing it.

In an animated, sardonic rejoinder, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called Tuberville's amendment “a gift" that would let Democrats “put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police." He said he wanted to “walk over there and hug my colleague."

He could be heard loudly supporting the measure as a roll call vote was taken on the Senate floor.