Senate Fails To Complete Debate on CJS Bill

Senate Fails To Complete Debate on CJS Bill

The headline in this evening’s Congress Daily (subscription required) says it all: “Bid To Cut Off Debate on C-J-S Bill Fails, Rancor Ensues.”

The Senate had been expected to complete debate on the FY2010 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill (H.R. 2847) this afternoon, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was able to muster only 57 votes in favor of his cloture motion instead of the 60 required. Three Democrats were not present for the vote according to the publication, which quoted Senator Reid as saying “The Republicans are legislating out of spite. Anything that slows things down, confuses, diverts from the business at hand, they are happy to do that.”

The current dispute is over agreement — or lack thereof — between the two parties on the list of amendments that will be considered to the bill. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was quoted by Congress Daily as saying that no one on his side of the aisle is trying the prevent the bill from passing. None of the amendments reported to be in dispute concerns the space program.

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