Senate

Bill is rushed to House as lawmakers try to get it to President Obama before Patriot Act expires at midnight.

The Senate agreed Thursday afternoon to allow a vote on final passage of the Patriot Act extension bill along with votes on two controversial amendments authored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

The agreement represents a major victory for Paul, who brought progress on the Patriot Act to a halt this week as he demanded greater time for debate and a floor vote on his amendments, which would curtail the law’s powers.

Paul celebrated the fact that he had managed to wrestle Senate leadership into granting him his amendments, but he said he was not completely satisfied with the agreement.

“It took me three days of sitting down here filibustering but I am going to get two amendment votes,” said Paul. “I am very happy and pleased that we came together to get these but I wish we would do more. I wish there were a week's worth of debate.”

Paul's two amendments would clarify that the authority to obtain information under the Patriot Act does not pertain to firearms records and would limit the federal government's ability to view individuals' bank records. 

The votes will begin at 4:35 p.m.

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) on Thursday called on the International Money Fund (IMF) to deny its former chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a quarter-million-dollar severance package to which he might be entitled.

Strauss-Kahn, a Frenchman, is facing charges of sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a hotel maid; he was released on bail and is under home detention at a townhouse in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood. He stepped down last week as IMF chief, saying he wanted to "protect" the institution and would spend his time proving his innocence. 

The Senate on Thursday passed by unanimous consent another short-term extension for Small Business Administration (SBA) funding after failing to clear an eight-year extension earlier in the month.

The extender bill funds the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Research Funding Opportunities programs for four months, with two-month extensions for other SBA programs. The House will take up the bill next week.

Sen. Sessions hopes to embarrass Democrats by making them vote for vacation even though they have not produced a budget.

After a protracted battle, the Senate has cleared a crucial legislative hurdle for reauthorizing parts of the Patriot Act.

The 79-18 vote Thursday puts the bill on track for final passage this week.

The Patriot Act is set to expire at midnight Thursday and could lapse if Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who opposes the legislation, insists that the Senate use the entire 30 hours of debate required by the rules. If Paul takes that route, the vote on passage could occur no earlier than 7 a.m. Friday morning. 

In floor comments prior to adjourning the Senate on Wednesday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) hinted he was nearing a deal with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would prevent the Patriot Act from expiring by allowing more of the freshman senator's amendments.

"We are working on a final agreement, a lot of progress has been made in that regard and there are likely to be more roll call votes tomorrow on amendments related to the Patriot Act," said Reid.

Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.) has apparently reached an agreement with freshman Republican Sen. Paul (Ky.) on the vote.

The Senate resoundingly rejected a budget sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan that calls for significant cuts to future Medicare benefits.

Republicans and Democrats unanimously rejected the $3.7 trillion budget plan President Obama sent to Capitol Hill in February.