The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. for speeches, and soon thereafter resumes work on S. 782, the Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011. This bill would expand funding for the Public Works and Economic Development Administration (EDA).

On Wednesday, the Senate held its big vote on an amendment to delay limits on debit card fees, which failed in a 54-45 vote. Republicans have several other amendments to the bill, including one that would provide for a clean debt-ceiling increase, one that makes estate tax relief permanent, and even one that would completely defund the EDA.

The House will return briefly for a pro-forma session at 10:30 a.m., as it did Tuesday morning.

A bipartisan coalition backed Sen. Dick Durbin, rejecting a heavily lobbied proposal to delay debit-card swipe-fee regulations.

House Republicans this week introduced legislation that would give federal employees a choice in whether a portion of their salary is sent to federal employee unions, which sponsors say would help break the "strong-hold that labor unions have on American politics and the federal budget."

"This bill does not prohibit federal workers from joining a union or paying union dues," said Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chief sponsor of H.R. 2145. "In fact, this legislation would increase employees' freedom by allowing them to choose to pay union dues rather than having them taken out of employees' paychecks before the workers even see the money."

"The president has failed to provide Congress with a compelling rationale" for activity in Libya, it says.

House Republicans next week plan to take up a patent reform bill that is similar in some ways, but not identical, to one the Senate approved in March.

The bill, H.R. 1249, would move the U.S. closer to the "first-to-file" patent system used by most of the rest of the developed world, but not all the way there. Congress has worked for years to harmonize its patent system with that of other countries that award patents to those who file for them earliest.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Wednesday brought an amendment to the Senate floor that would increase the federal debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion without any spending conditions. 

"This will comply with the President’s budget," said Paul from the floor. "Many on the other side have asked for a clean vote on the debt ceiling and because I really want to get along I want to make this vote available to those who want to raise the debt ceiling. I will vote no but I wanted to do this in consideration of the majority’s wishes.” 

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Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sees Wednesday's Senate vote on delaying limits on debit card fees as a key test of the power that banks have to lobby members of Congress, he told The Hill Wednesday.

Senators at about 2 p.m. are expected to vote on a proposal to delay pending debit-card fee rules for a year. Welch worked in support of the fee limits in last year's Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, and said Wednesday he is watching the Senate vote closely because it will be read as a sign of how well banks are able to fight back against this rule and others.

"This is a very important vote, because — bottom line — this is about whether the big banks will prevail," Welch said.

The Senate will consider an amendment to delay new rules on debit-card fees, a battle pitting banks against retailers.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Barney Frank (D-Mass.) announced his support Wednesday for Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) amendment that would delay limits on debit-card fees charged to businesses.

“I think it’s a good, balanced, compromise approach," said Frank, a chief architect of last year's Wall Street reform bill. "I support it and I hope it will pass.”