Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain (R-Ariz.) responded to Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's suggestion that he had gone "nuts" by claiming Putin was "shaken" by signs of discontent in his country.

Putin recently responded to McCain's tweet "Dear Vlad, The Arab Spring is coming to a neighborhood near you" by suggesting the senior senator from Arizona had gone "nuts" after spending so much time in a prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam war. 

Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) on Thursday morning rejected an assertion from New York Times columnist Tom Friedman that Congress gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several standing ovations because it is "bought and paid for" by the Israeli lobby.

"I don't know if Mr. Friedman was in the chamber at the time, and I do not know if he interviewed members of Congress following the Prime Minister's speech," Murphy said on the House floor. "I certainly know he did not speak with me or many of my colleagues before he came to this wrong conclusion."

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Thursday morning called on Republicans to stop trying to balance the federal budget by trimming the salaries of federal workers.

"Everything must be on the table" Hoyer said on the House floor. "I'm deeply disappointed, however, that we continue to attack these public servants unfairly and single them out.

Reid's position is a change from Wednesday morning, when he rebuffed calls to bring the omnibus to the floor.

The House and Senate meet with just two days to find a way to fund the government past Friday.

Much of the progress will depend on the Senate. On Wednesday, Senate Democrats wanted to vote on the House payroll tax bill, which will fail in the Senate, before taking up a spending bill. That seemed to reflect the worry Democrats have that approving the spending bill would allow House Republicans to leave for the year, sticking the Senate with a payroll tax bill that Democrats oppose.

Senate Republicans were insisting that the funding bill be disposed of first, particularly given the Friday deadline, but Senate Democrats have refused to sign the conference report on a 2012 spending bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested for a second night in a row on Wednesday that the Senate would be able to schedule votes in the morning on House Republicans' pay roll tax cut extension bill, or a version of it, and the defense authorization conference report. 

The Senate passed an appropriations bill to fund the government's intelligence activities on Wednesday night, possibly in preparation for a government shutdown, which could occur if funding is not renewed by Friday.

The bill was sponsored by both of the Senate Intelligence Committee's leadersm, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), and would provide for the necessary funds for day-to-day operations of the nation's intelligence agencies.

The House approved the bill once lawmakers were assured it does not allow the administration to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens.

Frank said a torn ligament explained repaired earlier on Wednesday unusual attire on House floor.