Recapping yesterday's action:
Yesterday's headline in the House was the defeat-by-design of the Reid debt ceiling plan. In order to be able to generate media headlines that would say Reid's plan had been rejected, House Republicans brought it to the floor under suspension of the rules, which required a 2/3 vote in order to pass. In the end, no Republicans voted for it, so the added protection may not have been necessary. One wonders, then, why the abundance of caution? Suspension of the rules saved no more than 20 minutes of debate on the bill, and an hour's debate on a rule. Why would such a disciplined Republican conference need the belt and suspenders of a procedure with no possibility for success?
The Senate waited dutifully for the cloture clock to tick down on the vehicle being used to bring Reid's plan to the floor, even as it was being set up to fail on the House side. Then, as the hour appointed for the cloture vote approached, word came that it would be delayed. Rather than taking it as soon as possible—around 1 a.m. on Sunday—it would be pushed back by 12 hours to 1 p.m. Why? Well, let's leave that for the "today" section.
Looking ahead to today:
The House holds a pro forma session only today.
The Senate last night postponed its expected cloture vote on the Reid amendment that was to be the vehicle for replacing the Boehner plan with his own. With reports emerging that yet another deal may be forthcoming, they needed time to maneuver and arrange for the text embodying any such deal to be readied to replace Reid's language.
How much latitude they have to make a new deal work can be a complicated matter to sort out. Was Reid's original amendment on which he filed cloture a complete substitute for what's now contained in the text of S. 627, or just a regular amendment to it? If it's considered a complete substitute, then it may require unanimous consent to get the text embodying a new deal considered as an amendment to Reid's amendment. That's because under the rules governing deadlines for the submission of amendments once a cloture motion has been filed, an amendment to a complete substitute is considered a first degree amendment, and therefore must be submitted and printed by 1 p.m. on the day after the cloture motion is filed. That would have been 1 p.m. yesterday.
But if Reid's amendment to S. 627 was considered a regular amendment—that is, something less than a complete substitute—then an amendment to Reid's would be a second degree amendment, due one hour before the actual cloture vote is taken. That had been scheduled for 1 a.m. this morning, but the delay could potentially allow 12 more hours to get in under the wire.
Senate rules get a little fuzzy around this point. Especially in the wee hours of the morning. But if I'm getting this right, it seems fairly clear either that: 1) there's a decent shot at unanimous consent for getting a vote on whatever deal they can work out; 2) that the 12 hour delay will work some deadline magic, and that the deal can be a second degree amendment to Reid's amendment, or; 3) that the government can survive and function at least a little bit longer than midnight on August 2nd. Otherwise, we'd be looking at a situation in which a lone objecting Senator could push passage past midnight on the 2nd by forcing cloture to be filed on whatever vehicle was carrying the text of the deal. Filing for cloture today would make 1 a.m. on the 2nd the soonest a cloture vote could take place, pushing a vote on final passage even later still, by up to 30 hours, and that's without even taking the new deal's text to the House.
Which one is it? I'm just not sure. But if I had to guess, I'd say it's #2.
Today's floor schedule appears below the fold.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
THE NIGHTLY WHIP: SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2011
Bills Adopted Under Suspension of the Rules (3):
- H.R. 1975 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 281 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, as the "First Lieutenant Oliver Goodall Post Office Building" (Rep. Schiff - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 1843 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 489 Army Drive in Barrigada, Guam, as the "John Pangelinan Gerber Post Office Building” (Rep. Bordallo - Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2062 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 45 Meetinghouse Lane in Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts, as the "Matthew A. Pucino Post Office" (Rep. Keating - Oversight and Government Reform)
Bill Not Adopted Under Suspension of the Rules (1):
- H.R. 2693 - Budget Control Act of 2011 (Rep. Dreier – Rules/Budget/Energy and Commerce/ Education and the Workforce/Ways and Means/Science and Technology) (173 – 246)
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Senate Floor Schedule for Sunday, July 31, 2011
Convenes: 12:00pm
Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to concur in the House message to accompany S.627 with the Reid amendment with the time until 1:00pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.
At approximately 1:00pm, the Senate conduct a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to accompany S.627 with the Reid amendment at 1:00PM (tomorrow afternoon) on Sunday, July 31, 2011.
Roll Call Votes
- On the Motion (Motion to Instruct the Sgt. At Arms to Request Absent Senators ). Motion Agreed to, 75-20.
Other Business
- 7/30 wrap-up:
Adopted S.Res.246, recognizing and commending the 2011 National Veterans Wheelchair Games, to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania August 1 through August 6, 2011.