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Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) on Thursday introduced the Marriage Protection Act, which would prevent federal courts from hearing cases involving same-sex marriage. The bill is a direct response to the Obama administration's decision not to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act in court.

The Defense of Marriage Act, signed by President Clinton, allows states not to recognize same-sex marriages in other states, and prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. By preventing federal courts from taking cases related to this issue, Burton's bill would avoid a situation in which the Obama administration declines to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court, and effectively leaves the matter to states.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed a motion to limit debate on the Patent Reform Act at 6:35 p.m. Thursday night.

The patent bill has been pending before the upper chamber since Monday, as senators have attempted to alter it with amendments. Controversy over a budget extension bill and other amendments that were not germane to the underlying bill have, in part, slowed progress on the legislation.

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) tore into the federal government’s practice of diverting tens of millions of dollars annually from patent fees to other purposes as “immoral” and offered an amendment to right the wrong.

“It’s immoral to take money from a specific purpose and not apply it to the purpose it was intended under the statute,” said Coburn.

Coburn said it was this diverting that has clogged up the system leaving 713,000 patents untouched. He said the fee money was intended to be used to process patents. Coburn said it currently takes 26 months before a patent officer even touches a patent after it has been filed.

“If we want to stay on top of innovation we cannot allow that process to continue,” said Coburn. “Now we are actually going to spend the patent money on patents.”

Coburn touted his amendment as the perfect antidote to the current system. 

“This is a moral response to an immoral thing we have been doing,” said Coburn.

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), the sixth-ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said the Obama administration's decision to no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act is a "dereliction of duty," and indicated that congressional oversight may be coming.

"It is beyond disappointment," Lungren said on the House floor Monday. "I believe it is a dereliction of duty. To somehow now find that there is no constitutional basis for defending that law is incredible, and I think regrettable, and I think we ought to look into it."

The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the government from recognizing same-sex marriages, and was signed into law by former President Clinton. The Obama administration last week said it believes the law is unconstitutional, and Republicans said the decision smacked of politics.

On Monday Lungren echoed that charge, and said it is the Attorney General's job to defend all laws, regardless of their personal views, just as he did as California's Attorney General.

"Having served in that office in California, I can tell you I defended laws that I disagreed with," he said. "I defended laws that I had voted against, and I thought it was my solemn obligation to uphold the Constitution and the laws duly enacted in my state, just as I believe the Attorney General of the United States has that obligation on the federal level."

As of Monday morning, it appears that House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the Obama White House are prepared to work together to pass a two-week spending bill this week, leaving House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the outside looking in and possibly leading what could end up as an unsuccessful opposition to the bill.

The White House on Monday morning indicated it would likely accept the two-week spending bill, which followed last week's supportive comments about the House Republican spending proposal from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Pelosi is so far the only significant Democrat to indicate outright opposition to the House GOP bill, and said its proposed cuts to education in particular are "not a good place to start."

President Obama on Friday signed into law a bill that extends three Patriot Act surveillance authorities until late May.

Obama signed the "FISA Sunsets Extension Act of 2011," which refers to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Surveillance authorities under that act were extended in part by amending the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act.

With Obama's signature, the ability of the United States to access business records, conduct roving wiretaps and monitor individual terrorists is maintained until May 27. The administration has said it supports a longer extension, and the Senate next week will begin working on a three-year extension.

The House plans to vote next week on legislation that would allow for criminal penalties against anyone who trespasses on White House grounds, the vice president's residence or other buildings that are locked down for security reasons due to presidential or vice presidential visits.

Plans to take up the bill come just as it was reported that Tareq and Michaela Salahi are unlikely to face prosecution for crashing a White House reception in November 2009.

But staff for Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.), who sponsored the bill, say the legislation is not a reaction to the Salahi incident. Instead, it is a reaction to concerns raised by the Secret Service about limitations in current law that make it harder to prosecute people who unlawfully enter White House grounds or the vice president's residence and grounds.

In that way, the bill is targeted more at wall climbers and it's unclear if it would apply to the Salahis, who claim they were invited.

A withdrawn amendment has thrown a light on a disagreement among House Republicans on how they plan to curb spending Read more...

Reps. John Campbell (R-Calif.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) were two of just three Republicans who voted against the Republican spending bill for fiscal year 2011, and said they did so because the cuts — hotly contested by Democrats — did not go far enough.

"I didn't vote for the CR [continuing resolution] because it simply didn't go far enough to reduce spending," Flake told The Hill. "We've got to make much deeper cuts to get out of the fiscal hole we're in."

It is still possible for the Senate to complete the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding bill by Thursday night if senators cooperate, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said on Wednesday night.

Reid’s remarks appeared to be targeted at Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) who indicated earlier in the afternoon that he would object to other senators’ amendments to protest Democrat’s objection to five of his own amendments.

Reid has scheduled a crucial test vote for Thursday morning. If that vote succeeds, the bill will enter the final phase before passage.

“We will see what happens after that,” said Reid.

Reid also offered a veiled threat, insisting he would hold the Senate open until it had finished its work on the reauthorization bill.

“I hope that we can work something out so we can finish tomorrow,” said Reid. “It would certainly be a doable thing.”

The floor has been dormant for most of the afternoon as members hash out agreements that will allow the bill to succeed in tomorrow’s vote.

There will be no more roll call votes on Wednesday. The Senate adjourned at 6:27 p.m. and will reconvene at 9:30 a.m on Thursday.  At 11 a.m. the Senate will vote on cloture on the FAA authorization bill and then proceed to votes on additional amendments.

Stay with the Floor Action Blog for complete coverage.