November 16, 2007: For Iraq, $70b or $50b?; Farm bill cloture vote tests Republican filibuster

[9:04]
Tom Harkin (IA) says, Hey if we vote for cloture that still leaves us 30 hours of debate and I promise you that in those 30 hours we can vote on as many germane amendments to the bill as you want. However, if you want to vote on immigration, do it on some other bill. If this cloture vote fails, says Harkin, we will not have a new farm bill this year.

[9:02]
Saxby Chambliss (GA), who voted for the farm bill in committee, is voicing his opposition to today's cloture motion to limit debate on the very same bill. He is making clear that his "nay" vote on cloture is a direct response to the majority's decision to shut down the normal amendment process on the bill. If we had started our usual deliberative process last Tuesday when we began work on this bill, we would be done with it by now.

Precap:

There are going to be three votes this morning, two on Iraq. First, a cloture vote on a motion to proceed to S. 2340, which is a Republican response to the House-passed Iraq supplementary, H.R. 4156. The Republican version of the supplementary appropriates $70b for FY 2008 Iraq. Unlike H.R. 4156, it is devoid of timetables.

The second vote is for cloture on a motion to proceed to consideration of H.R. 4156, the House-passed Iraq supplementary bill. In the amount of $50b for FY 2008, it sets timetable "goals" for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. To clarify, it does not set mandatory withdrawal guidelines, only goals. Senators Carl Levin (MI) and Harry Reid (NV) have indicated that the bill is not tough enough for them, but that they will support it. The bill passed narrowly in the House, 218-203. That's pretty close.

The third vote is for cloture on the farm bill. It needs 60 votes to pass. If it does pass, it limits debate on the farm bill. The vote will test the Republican filibuster. Right now Saxby Chambliss (GA) is encouraging his fellow senators to vote against cloture in response to Reid's filling of the amendment tree on the bill. If we can't amend it, says the minority, we will not let it proceed.