Business as usual in Senate as House takes up spending extension

Senators will take up previously scheduled business on Monday, including debate and votes on two judicial nominees, a complete reading of George Washington's 6,083-word farewell address and the introduction of the Patent Reform Act.

Meanwhile, they’ll wait for the House to try to pass a two-week continuing resolution funding the government that would cut about $4 billion from current levels.

When the Senate convenes at 2 p.m., expect senators to use a 90-minute period reserved for floor speeches to weigh in on proposed cuts in the Republicans’ measure.

Several influential Senate Democrats have voiced some support for the extension.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), for example, called the Republicans’ short-term plan "acceptable” on Sunday; last week Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called the GOP’s plan a “modified version of what Democrats are already talking about.”