Programming note: We'll be pausing to regroup a little bit on Daily Kos radio, but are preparing to return next week, with a slightly less hectic schedule.
Recapping Last Week in Congress
Last week, the House completed work on the Energy & Water Development, Homeland Security, and Legislative Branch appropriations bill, and voted to eliminate the tax on medical devices put in place by the Affordable Care Act. I believe every single one of those things is under veto threat.
The Senate waited around for a cloture motion to ripen on the motion to proceed to the Paycheck Fairness Act, but it "failed" by a majority vote. They then burnt most of the rest of the week waiting for a cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the farm bill to riper. That motion was adopted, cloture was invoked overwhelmingly, and while the Senate began to run the clock on the 30 post-cloture hours of debate, amendments began to pile up, and a deal to find some limit to them was sough, but never reached.
This Week in Congress
The House is not in session this week.
The Senate is scheduled to burn the bulk of the day finishing up post-cloture time on the motion to proceed to the farm bill, before ultimately adopting the motion under the terms of a unanimous consent agreement. And at 5:30, they'll vote on cloture on the nomination of Andrew David Hurwitz to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. That's how the Senate handles Monday travel time these days. They keep the clock running on post-cloture, and use the time to travel back to DC.
Word is that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will be attempting to offer a resolution calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate alleged security leaks in the administration, some time later in the week.
Full floor schedule below the fold.
The House is not in session this week.
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Senate Floor Schedule for Monday, June 11, 2012
Convenes: 2:00pm
Following the prayer and pledge, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.3240, the Farm bill, post-cloture. We continue to work on an agreement for amendments to the bill.
At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #607, the nomination of Andrew David Hurwitz, of AZ, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit with one hour of debate equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Hurwitz nomination.
No committee meetings are scheduled for today.