Boxer to GOP: Get out of the way of highway bill

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Monday said she is afraid that her Republican colleagues will sink the bipartisan highway transportation bill by attempting to tack on extraneous amendments.

"Such amendments do not belong on a jobs bill," said Boxer, speaking of an amendment offered by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) that would reverse President Obama's recent contraceptive decision.

Boxer then went on suggest she plans on brow-beating Republicans in the public forum to keep them from scrambling the legislation with non-germane amendments. 

"I am going to be going on my Facebook and going on to my Twitter and going on to TV and radio and everything," she said. "Why?  To say a very simple thing to my colleagues. Get out of the way of this jobs bill. All of America supports it. 

The bill cleared its first hurdle last week when it received a strong 85-11 vote in favor of cloture. The real test however, still lies ahead over whether or not the parties can come to an agreement that would limit amendments and allow an up or down vote. 

The Senate on Tuesday night approved a motion-to-proceed measure on the confirmation of Judge Adalberto Jordan’s 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals nomination.