Status of Minibus Amendments
The Senate's procedural posture at the beginning of the day yesterday is depicted below.
The Senate then disposed of two amendments to the minibus appropriations bill (HR 6157). Specifically, senators approved both the Menendez Amdt. 3705 and the Fischer Amdt. 3706, each by a vote of 85 to 0. Two new amendments (Nelson Amdt. 3773 and Kennedy Amdt. 3703) were then made pending in their place on the amendment tree by unanimous consent.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the Nelson and Kennedy amendments today at 12:10 pm.
By processing amendments via unanimous consent, Senate leaders maintain control over the amendment process. Amendments that pose a threat to the underlying bill in its current form will most likely be blocked. Controversial amendments that are allowed to be offered will most likely be given a higher 60-vote threshold for adoption.