Nov. 1, 2007: Reid Believes Congress is "Very Close" to a Veto-Proof Agreement on S-CHIP

[19:05]
The Senate is in an extended quorum call. I believe Majority Leader Reid is engaged in off-the-floor talks with minority leadership concerning what will happen next (week) in the Senate. There is some question as to whether the Senate will have to hold a cloture vote on a motion to proceed to the farm bill. If such a vote is necessary, it would occur Monday. The Senate doesn't usually vote on Monday, so they are probably working out some agreement so that this vote is not necessary. Theoretically, a senator who is very unhappy with some aspect of the farm bill could force a cloture vote by threatening to filibuster the bill.

[17:14]
The Senate is about to pass another S-CHIP bill. However, Reid indicates that Congress will not send this version of the bill to the President. The President would veto it and there aren't enough votes in the House for an override.

However, says Reid, senators and House reps are "very close" to working out a bicameral, bipartisan version of S-CHIP that will be veto-proof. News on that sort of agreement could come out later this week or sometime next week. This would be the victory that bipartisan proponents of the bill have been seeking. It is increasingly clear that Bush is much more unlikely to find a version of S-CHIP that he likes than are House Republicans. Reid says that a few small changes to the bill will bring the requisite number of House Republicans on board.

[17:10]
The Senate just passed an S-CHIP procedural vote. I believe this vote was for cloture on the bill itself. Reid (NV) says that one more vote will follow immediately. After that, there won't be anymore votes this week.

He says that he wants to avoid having a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the farm bill. But if such a vote is necessary, it will happen noon Monday. Otherwise, they'll pick up farm bill business Tuesday. Senators are free to give opening statements on the farm bill on Monday.

Next week will be very busy, says Reid. The Senate must pass another continuing budget resolution to fund the government. The current resolution runs out on Nov. 16.


[17:03]
The Senate is holding another procedural vote on S-CHIP.

[16:36]
Senator Reid (NV) is now speaking about S-CHIP. He said that he and his fellow S-CHIP proponents have done everything possible to reach an all-around agreement on S-CHIP. He said that Senate rules do not allow him to cancel the impending cloture vote on the bill. But he is also indicating that he is willing S-CHIP to "simmer a little," so as to allow Congressmen to reach a compromise that both parties can agree to (even if the President will not agree to it).

Senators such as Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) and Mike Enzi (WY) spoke to today on the floor to argue that the so-called "new version" of S-CHIP that the Senate is now considering is not any better than the version that Bush has already vetoed. John Cornyn (TX) said that the new version was in fact worse than the vetoed version because it costs $500m more and covers 400,000 fewer children. Cornyn is the only person I've heard quote those figures.

[14:08]
Ben Cardin (MD) has just said that senators are going to have a chance to vote on S-CHIP in "a couple of hours."

[13:52]
Sherrod Brown (OH) was just speaking in opposition to a free trade deal with Peru that a House committee voted 39-0 in favor of the other day. Brown is categorically opposed to any new free trade deal until the entire U.S. approach to trade deals undergoes reform.

Brown is a first-term senator from Ohio. He has a very gravelly voice. Oftimes, he will take to the floor to oppose Bush Administration trade policy when not much else is going on in the Senate.

Precap:

As the Senate left off yesterday, the S-CHIP bill was the pending business. The bill had just garnered 62 votes to leap a procedural hurdle. Majority Leader Reid (NV) had scheduled the next procedural vote on S-CHIP for 1:00 tonight/tomorrow morning. I am not real clear on why this odd hour would be his choice for the vote.

I know that after a cloture vote on a motion to proceed, which took place yesterday on S-CHIP, there is a thirty hour cap on debate before the Senate will vote on the motion itself. However, I cannot figure how 30 hours takes us to 1:00 a.m. Either this was the soonest hour at which Reid could hold the vote, or he was just trying to irritate Republican leadership.