Unable to muster a 60th vote to force an end to debate on a $410 billion Omnibus budget bill, Democrats last night had to delay final action until next week.
It was a victory for critics of the bill - mainly Republicans - who have hammered Democrats and the White House relentlessly in recent days over thousands of budget earmarks in the bill.
The cloture vote was supposed to have taken place Thursday night at 8:15 ET, but as the minutes ticked by without that vote starting, it became obvious there was something amiss.
"At quarter of eight tonight, I had 59 and a half votes," said a smiling, but disappointed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who laid out the delay for Senators on the floor.
"The votes would not have been there tonight," said Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, whose troops demanded the right to offer more amendments to the Omnibus.
So far, Democrats have been able to block all of them.
The scene on the Senate floor got really interesting as Reid tried to cancel the cloture vote, but that was objected to by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) who wanted assurances that he could get a vote on one of his amendments.
Reid did his best to say 'no' without saying 'no,' but Vitter persisted, and Reid finally had to give in.
What does the amendment do, and why had Democrats blocked it?
Vitter's amendment would force lawmakers to vote each year to approve or disapprove a pay raise for members of Congress, even if it is just a cost of living increase.
Vitter wanted a vote "given the state of the economy and income losses and job losses that are being suffered around the country."
It will probably lose, but Democrats had hoped to avoid a direct vote on that obviously.
So, what does this mean? It could mean the Omnibus is in real trouble, especially because it gives critics another weekend to keep making their case and hammering away at the bill.
This is when the Minnesota Senate seat is really important, because if Al Franken were seated, the Democrats would have had their 60 votes, as Sen. Ted Kennedy was back as well.
Republicans now will get the chance to offer additional amendments early next week. Whether that satisfies one Senator enough to change sides and vote for cloture, stay tuned.
About the Author
Featured
