UPDATE @ 10:40 AM: Here’s a statement on the state of play from SU’s Alex Nicholson:
If Senator Reid has received confirmation that Republican supporters of repeal are satisfied with the tax cuts deal, then the issue becomes the number of amendments and amount of floor time that Senator Reid is offering on the bill. As of this morning, it is our understanding that he is still lowballing his offer and presumably hoping that we will just blame ‘the Republicans.’ If he does not move his offer into the realm of reasonableness, then he will be intentionally throwing the vote when he brings it up.
As I’ve said several times since we got the news of the possible vote, I really hope everyone involved — the President, the Majority Leader, Senator Collins, among others — are dealing in good faith. This isn’t a political game or a debate about process. It’s about basic equality.
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Looks like we really are heading for a DADT vote later today.
Here’s what Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor earlier today. It’s from a transcript we got via email:
And I likely going to move to my motion to reconsider on the defense authorization act this evening. allowing, as I will indicate at that time, for amendment to that piece of legislation.
The key question is whether Senators Collins and Brown will vote for cloture. Pryor is on board now. That’s critical. Collins wants a fair process. LGBT Americans want fairness.
Here’s the video, courtesy of Igor Volsky:
As everyone knows, the Senate is, to say the least, a peculiar institution. Things can change fast. We’ll monitor developments and update as we learn new info.
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