Senate set to vote on 2011 budget Thursday afternoon

The Senate will vote Thursday on the spending deal the White House reached with House Republicans last week that averted a government shutdown.

The Senate will also vote on two resolutions, one to ban federal funds for Planned Parenthood, another to defund the new healthcare law.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) agreed to the votes on the two resolutions, which would need 60 votes to proceed, as part of a deal engineered by Reid, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and President Obama.

Language blocking federal funds from Planned Parenthood and the new healthcare law had been included in the House GOP spending bill for 2011. In exchange for the Senate scheduling the two votes, the GOP dropped its demand to keep the language in the underlying bill.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said leaders expect the votes to take place Thursday afternoon.

Votes will occur on those three resolutions in the following order:   

• a resolution to prohibit federal funds for health care reform (H.Con.Res. 35)
• a resolution to prohibit federal funds for Planned Parenthood (H.Con.Res. 36)
• passage of the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (H.R. 1473)

The Senate adjourned at 6:43 p.m. on Thursday night.