Progressive Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) cast his 9000th vote on an amendment to the the Department of Defense Authorization bill for fiscal year 2012 on Thursday night to the applause and praise of his colleagues. 

The Senate Thursday evening cleared an amendment that requires the imposition of harsh sanctions on the financial sector of Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran as a reprisal for that country's persistent nuclear program. 

Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), both original sponsors of the amendment, argued just prior to the vote that the sanctions could represent the final chance to avoid armed conflict.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), who routinely slams the "Grover Norquist-Tea Party Republicans" while speaking on the House floor, offered a sort of apology on the floor for these past remarks on Thursday night.

"I just want everyone to know that even though I stand up and I talk about the Grover Norquist-Tea Party Republicans, I admire the tea partiers because they got up off of their duffs because they were upset about how things were going," Johnson said.

Hours before a planned Senate vote to extend the payroll tax extension Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said Thursday that he expects uniform opposition from Senate Republicans when the measure comes up for a vote.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Politics Nation with Al Sharpton, Menedez said, “I think they may stand lockstep in opposition. You know, I heard the Speaker say he was not an economist, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that giving 168 million American workers $1,500 more in their pockets will have a robust effect in this economy.”

Menendez who sponsored the legislation defends paying for the legislation with a 3.2 percent surcharge on incomes over a million dollars as “pretty fair.”

The Senate vote planned for Thursday night is expected to fall short of the 60 votes required for passage.

The Senate on Thursday night overwhelmingly cleared an eleventh hour compromise on the terrorist detainee provision of the defense authorization bill clearing the way for passage and possibly dodging a veto from the White House.

The compromise amendment from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), cleared 99-1, clarifies that the controversial section of the bill that suggests individuals apprehended in the U.S. who are suspected of terrorism ought to be detained by the military, would in no way pertain to U.S. citizens, lawful resident aliens or anyone captured or arrested in the U.S.

The compromise maintains existing law for the detention of Americans, resident aliens and anyone captured or arrested in the U.S.

Members approved the resolution by a unanimous 419-0 vote.

The House on Thursday passed a bill that would require federal agencies to take more care to measure the effect of regulations on small companies, and provide alternatives to rules that might impede small business growth.

Members voted 263-159 in favor of the bill; more than two dozen Democrats voted for it.

The House on Thursday afternoon rejected five of six Democratic amendments to a bill that would require federal agencies to take more care to ensure their rules do not stifle small businesses.

The bill, H.R. 527, would also require agencies to put forward alternative rules that have less of an impact on small companies, require a review of past rules and give small companies more authority to fight rules they say are too burdensome.