Senate

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sounded a positive note on Thursday, suggesting the grueling month-long fight over the pending highway bill might soon be over. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) charged President Obama on Thursday of personally contacting Senate Democrats to ask them to oppose a pending amendment that would speed the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, and after an hour of speeches will begin the final push on the long-stalled transportation bill.

The Senate reached a deal late Wednesday to allow votes on about 30 amendments (see below for details), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he hoped the Senate could completely finish the bill by the end of Thursday. However, votes are expected to be extended into next week; the Senate might get to about one-third of the pending amendments.

Reid said the Senate would begin considering 30 amendments on Thursday.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) lambasted $14 billion the government is projected to provide for “big wind,” arguing from the Senate floor that windmills are not the best option for sating the nation's thirst for energy. 

The Senate floor lay empty Wednesday afternoon as senators prepared to attend a 5 p.m. closed-door briefing on the matter of cybersecurity.

The Senate GOP leader doubled down on his argument Wednesday that the administration is working to drive up gas prices.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday hinted he will afford Republicans a number of votes on their non-germane and controversial amendments later this week in order to move the pending highway bill to the House. 

Senate Democrats on Tuesday introduced legislation that would authorize another $15 billion in spending to redevelop foreclosed properties across the country, more than double the amount of money that the federal government has spent on a similar program since 2008.

The Project Rebuild Act, S. 2162, was offered by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who acknowledged the tight federal budget conditions, but said this spending is needed to help the ongoing foreclosure crisis. Reed said the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that the bill could create 190,000 jobs and renovate 150,000 properties nationwide, a total that works out to $1 million per renovated property.

Before adjourning just after 7 p.m. on Tuesday the Senate cleared, by unanimous consent, the Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act of 2011, a bipartisan bill to prevent trafficking in counterfeit drugs.

The Senate will resume work at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and later in the day continue work on the still-stalled highway bill.

The House also went out just before 7 p.m. after a two and a half hour tribute to the late Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), who died of colon cancer Tuesday. Payne was 77.