Senate

The Senate passed a bill Wednesday meant to ensure an ample supply of the latest flu vaccine is available by the next flu season.

By voice-vote, the Senate approved H.R. 475, which would include a flu vaccine that attacks a new strain of flu on a list of taxable vaccines.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that if a significant amendment agreement is reached Thursday, he could file cloture on the immigration reform bill that same day and avoid weekend work by continuing votes next week.

“We are going to finish this bill before we leave here for the July 4th recess. I hope we don’t have to work here Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Reid said Wednesday evening. “I’ve said before that I’d file cloture on the bill by Friday, Saturday, Sunday or even Monday. It looks like we might have to move that up a day and I might have to file cloture tomorrow.”

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) threatened to stop progress on the immigration reform bill until a list of noncontroversial amendments get a vote agreement.

“I would like right now is to stop this operation here until we can get the noncontroversial amendments out of the way,” Landrieu said on the floor Wednesday evening. “Those amendments that are thoughtful go to the back of the line and only the amendments that have no chance of passing get discussed on the floor. … That’s not the Senate I signed up for.”

President Obama's nominee to take the reins of the nation's trade office won easy confirmation in the Senate on Wednesday. 

Michael Froman garnered an overwhelming 93-4 vote to become the next U.S. Trade Representative only a few weeks ahead of the start of negotiations on a U.S.-European Union trade agreement.

"I am pleased that the Senate took bipartisan action today to confirm Michael Froman as the United States Trade Representative," President Obama said in a statement. 

"Mike has been my closest advisor on a broad range of international economic issues and will continue to play a key role on my economic team," he said. 

The Senate voted against an amendment to the immigration reform bill Wednesday that would have required congressional approval of border security measures.

On a 39-59 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).

Paul’s amendment would have made immigration reform conditional on Congress voting on whether the border is secure.

“Everybody knows that the Senate bill is dead on arrival in the House,” Cornyn said Wednesday.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced Wednesday that she would not support President Obama’s nominee to head the nation's trade office. 

Warren said Michael Froman has told her that he would not publicly release the text of an Asia-Pacific trade deal that is under negotiation by a dozen nations, including the United States.

"I am voting against Mr. Froman’s nomination,” Warren said on the Senate floor. “We should have a serious conversation about our trade policies, but it all starts with the transparency of our U.S. Trade Representative."

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said Senate Democrats are committing “filibuster fraud” by counting cloture motions as filibusters.

“The majority is committing filibuster fraud, and it’s pathetic,” Hatch said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “It is time to stop the filibuster fraud. A cloture motion is just an attempt to end debate.”

Senate women joined together Wednesday to condemn the abortion bill passed in the House yesterday as “an outrage.”

“The bill that they passed yesterday is a nonstarter in the Senate, and it’s a nonstarter with the majority women,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said on the floor Wednesday. “It was a charade to appeal to a dwindling base, but it’s a charade that will end here today.”