Senate to vote Saturday on $1.1T government-funding package

The Senate will vote Saturday on a $1.1 trillion government-funding bill after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reached a deal with Republicans.

The agreement will avoid an early morning Monday vote to clear the package keeping the government open.

{mosads}The Senate will first vote to end debate on the measure Saturday, before later considering a constitutional point-of-order objection raised by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) against the legislation.

Cruz’s procedural objection is expected to fail, likely setting up a vote on final passage of the omnibus before midnight — though it is possible that schedule could slip into early Sundaymorning.

The Senate will continue churning through the procedural requirements to file cloture votes on 24 of President Obama’s executive and judicial branch nominees starting Monday.

A Democratic leadership aide predicted at 8 p.m. that the nominees could get wrapped up in two hours, which would slate the votes on the omnibus to begin at 10 p.m. 

Republican senators have slowed the normally routine procedure to a glacial pace by raising objections. Once they finish the setting up the nominees, the votes on the omnibus will take place.

As of 8 p.m. Saturday night, 13 nominees still needed to be processed procedurally, something requiring a total of 26 votes. Since the chamber is averaging 20 minutes per vote, that could delay votes on the omnibus as late as 2 a.m. but lawmakers are optimistic a deal will emerge to wrap them up more quickly.

“It was a rout. They gave us everything,” said the aide said.

The Senate will begin voting to end the filibusters blocking the 24 nominees starting Monday. They could receive final confirmation votes either later in the day Monday or on Tuesday.

The Democratic aide predicted that Senate leaders will strike an unanimous consent agreement to speed consideration of those nominees to avoid another marathon voting session.

After the nominees are processed, the Senate will move to consider a package extending a variety of expired tax breaks and possible the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, a high priority of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).