Recapping yesterday's action:
The House, as we know, was not in session yesterday. And the Senate kept things relatively simple, dealing with the three nominations agreed to earlier, and requiring a vote on only one: that of James Cole, who was confirmed on a mostly party line vote of 55-42. Funny, since if I recall rightly, Cole was said to be a Republican when he was appointed to the job of Special Counsel for the House ethics committee to handle the Gingrich case. But Senate Republicans are likely mad because he's been serving as a recess appointment. But then again, who's fault is that? It's their own, of course, for blocking the nomination in the first place. Why not just hold the damn vote on the nomination and vote no if you don't like it? You just did it, and it didn't kill anybody. Were you seriously trying to protect Newt Gingrich? Please!
Uh, anyway, there were two other nominations pending, and they sailed through on voice votes.
Looking ahead to today:
Today's Senate business is supposed to be the completion of S. 679, the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act. There's an agreement in place for a series of votes on amendments, and then a vote on final passage, though it'll require 60 votes to get the job done—a "painless filibuster" adding just a little bit of either irony or insult, depending on how you look at it, to a vote on a bill designed to cut down on the number of filibusters. Following the (presumed) passage of S. 679, the Senate will consider a companion resolution, S. Res. 116, setting out in detail the new procedures for expedited nominations.
I say this is supposed to be the business of the day, because Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is throwing some kind of hissy fit about unanimous consent requests, insisting he's going to object to all of them from now on unless... something, something, something about the budget. I dunno. Here's what he says:
"unless we receive some assurance from the Democrat leadership that we will actually start addressing our budget out in the open, in the bright light of day, I will begin to object. I will begin to withhold my consent."
Nobody really knows what that means, though. Release of the text of a budget resolution? Open "negotiations" on the budget? What? Given that there's really just no way in the world to enforce "openness" in everything, who'll ever know whether this is being complied with, anyway?
But supposing he knows what he's talking about and will one day be able to adequately express it, I can imagine few greater insults to an attempt to pass the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act! Again, a bill to cut down on the number of filibusters, already subject to a "painless filibuster," and now this!
Now, there's already a unanimous consent agreement in place, apparently. So I don't think there's a great deal Johnson can do to derail this set of votes in particular, though he can certainly make things annoying in getting there. But after the procedures already agreed to, who knows what mischief he can make? He already objected to the routine suspension of a quorum call today, forcing the clerk to actually finish reading the list of names (for once!), announcing the lack of a quorum, and leading Harry Reid to call a live quorum call—meaning one in which the Sergeant At Arms has to go round everyone up if they don't come to the floor on their own—so that business could continue for the day. (The lack of a quorum in response to a live call results in an adjournment.)
We've already seen the secret hold thing fall apart. And the Senate's even slower than usual progress through every bill it's considered this year demonstrates the obvious weaknesses of the agreement to trade opening the amendment process (even to completely unrelated nonsense) in exchange for agreement not to filibuster motions to proceed. Now here we are considering the other pillar of the January rules reform agreement, streamlined nominations procedures, and not only is it subject to painless filibuster, but we have this yahoo freshman threatening to block every unanimous consent request from here on in, over something entirely unrelated to the matter at hand.
"Gentleman's Agreement," FTW!
Today's floor and committee schedules appear 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 Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Convenes: 9:30am
Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for one hour with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority controlling the final half.
Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of S.679, the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act. At approximately 11am, the Senate will conduct up to 4 roll call votes in relation to the following amendments to S.679:
- DeMint #501 (IMF bailouts)(60-vote threshold);
- Portman-Udall(NM)-Cornyn #509, as modified with the changes that are at the desk (Comptrollers of Navy, Army, Air Force; Controller of OMB and department CFOs)(expected voice vote);
- DeMint #511 (legislative & public affairs);
- Toomey #514(strikes the provision relating to the Governors and alternate governors of the IMF and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development)(expected voice vote);
Following disposition of the amendments, the Senate will conduct an additional roll call vote on passage of S.679, as amended (60-vote threshold).
Following disposition of S.679, the Senate will proceed to consideration of S.Res.116, a resolution to provide for expedited Senate consideration of certain nominations subject to advice and consent.
Roll Call Votes:
Other Business:
Monaco and Seitz nominations confirmed by voice vote
The Senate confirmed the following nominations by voice vote on Tuesday, June 28, 2011:
- Calendar #145 Lisa O. Monaco, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Attorney General
- Calendar #110 Virginia A. Seitz, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Attorney General
6/28 Senate wrap-up:
Senate Floor Wrap Up for Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Discharged Foreign Relations and Adopted S.Res.185, a resolution reaffirming the commitment of the United States to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.