Recapping yesterday's action:
Aside from some suspension bill housekeeping, the House was all about the debt ceiling bill yesterday. Using the hollowed out, Senate-passed bill S. 365 as the latest vehicle, The Deal made it through the House by a vote of 269-161, splitting the Democratic Caucus evenly, with 95 votes for and 95 against.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) made her first appearance on the House floor to cast her vote since she was shot on January 8th of this year. And while this has nothing to do with Congress, I just thought it was an interesting juxtaposition to point out that while Giffords was demonstrating the highest ideals of a democratic society, fighting against all odds—and even against those who would threaten our very lives—to exercise her right to vote (agree with her vote or not), "Americans" for Prosperity was at the same time demonstrating the lowest denigration of those ideals, mailing Wisconsin Democrats absentee ballots for that state's recall elections, intentionally marked with incorrect return dates, aimed at causing voters to mail the ballots in late so they wouldn't be counted. "Conservative" ideals in action.
The Senate, opting to wait on the House's taking the first vote, spent its day waiting. But before adjourning for the evening, Senator Rockefeller asked—in what has become a near daily ritual—for unanimous consent to pass a clean FAA authorization extension and reopen that agency. Senator Hatch objected, countering with his own unanimous consent request to pass the FAA bill with the union-busting provisions intact, to which Senator Rockefeller objected.
Looking ahead to today:
The House convenes today at 10 a.m., but probably just for a pro forma session. No one has posted any kind of floor schedule for the day, so my assumption is that they're ready to pack it in for the August recess, barring any unforeseen weirdness with critical business like the debt ceiling bill.
The Senate, of course, is poised to vote on that bill today, taking up the House message on S. 365. There's a unanimous consent agreement in place to proceed to a motion to concur in the House amendment, with 60 votes to be required for passage. A built-in "painless filibuster."
Assuming no last minute surprises, the concurrence of the Senate will complete Congressional action on the matter, and clear the bill for the president's signature after the vote on final passage. Let's note for the record that that'll only happen well after midnight on August 2nd, and that none of the apocalyptic visions of worldwide collapse at 12:01 will come true. This undoubtedly has to do with the fact that the world knows that the "fix" is at hand. But since the threats had come to take on nearly mythical qualities, it's worth pointing out that there was no worldwide Doomsday Clock set to explode at the stroke of midnight or anything.
With the August recess nearly at hand, there's not much else going on, and nothing expected to crop up and get in the way, so you'll notice a thin committee schedule for the balance of the week.
Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Senate Floor Schedule for Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Convenes: 9:30am
Following Leader remarks, Senator Reid is expected to make a motion to concur in the House amendments and the time until noon will be for debate on the motion to concur, equally divided, between the two Leaders, or their designees.
At noon, the Senate will proceed to vote on the Reid motion to concur; the motion to concur will be subject to a 60 vote threshold; no amendments, points of order or other motions will be in order to the message prior to the vote.
Other Business
- Objections to FAA:
Senator Rockefeller asked unanimous consent the Senate pass H.R.2533 with a Rockefeller-Hutchison amendment, which is at the desk and is a clean extension of the Federal Aviation Administration. Senator Hatch objected to Senator Rockefeller’s request.
Senator Hatch then asked unanimous consent the Senate pass H.R.2533, as passed by the House, which includes policy riders and with a Hatch amendment, which adds the House language regarding National Mediation Board. Senator Rockefeller objected to Senator Hatch’s request.