NUMBER OF THE WEEK: 9
The number of hours the Senate spent voting on
procedural measures on Saturday, after Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and
Mike Lee (R-UT) objected to the government spending bill, or
"cromnibus." The parliamentary obstructionism not only
failed to stop passage of the spending bill, it also gave Democrats
additional time to move forward 24 more of President Obama's
executive and judicial nominations before adjourning for the
year.
LEGISLATIVE LANDSCAPE
Extenders: The Final Countdown (We Hope). Amid
dramatic political party infighting and parliamentary hijinks, the
House and Senate managed to get the government spending package, or
"CRomnibus," across the goal line late Saturday night,
opening the way for what we sincerely hope is a quick and painless
passage of the House-passed extenders bill, H.R. 5771, early this week. The House has
already gone home for the year, so the Senate has no choice but to
pass the extenders bill as is—or not pass it at
