Senate to meet on Saturday -- again
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Republicans decided to make a point today so the Senate is scheduled to return on Saturday, the second consecutive weekend the lawmakers will be in session.
On Saturday, Democrats will vote to end a GOP filibuster over an omnibus spending bill. Today, Democrats showed they had the needed votes by killing off a GOP procedural move, 60-36. Sixty is the golden number because that’s the number it takes to end any filibuster.
But the Saturday session is really about the politics of healthcare.
Democrats have repeatedly insisted that the Senate needs to work day, night and holidays to pass the healthcare reform bill by Christmas and that Republicans were impeding their efforts for political gain. Republicans, on their side, reply that they need to weigh the bill which was written by Democrats without substantial GOP input.
That became more complicated as Democrats this week created a compromise on the public option portion of the bill, a deal that is being examined by the Congressional Budget Office. Until the CBO reports, no details have been released and the Senate work on healthcare has ground to a halt, though debate has continued.
Majority Leader Harry Reid this week said the Senate didn’t have to work this weekend, but Republicans complained that he was really trying to clear the slate for a fundraiser he was to attend in New Orleans.
Reid has canceled that event and said today on the Senate floor that he will be in Washington this weekend, ready to work.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) tried to get Saturday’s vote pushed up to sometime today, but that move was shot down when Republicans refused to agree.
“We’ve been told that healthcare is the most important thing,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said.
“We’re here. We’re prepared to work,” McConnell said, adding. “I object” to Kerry’s call for a vote today.
The Senate then went back to discussing healthcare issues and the vote on spending is scheduled for Saturday.
Senate healthcare debate shifts into first gear
--Michael Muskal
