DESPITE HURDLES, SENATE SET TO VOTE ON CONTINUING RESOLUTION IN COMING DAYS

The Senate is set to pass a six-month Continuing Resolution in the next few days that would keep the government running through March of next year, though it might have to navigate around some procedural speed bumps. The bill includes exceptions for NNSA’s weapons program and USEC’s American Centrifuge Plant project but funds the rest of the Department of Energy and most other government agencies at Fiscal Year 2012 levels. The Senate voted yesterday to invoke cloture on a motion to take up the bill, taking another step toward passing the legislation, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has emerged as a potential hurdle. Paul has threatened to filibuster the bill in an attempt to force a vote on his bill to eliminate foreign aid to Libya, Pakistan and Syria, which could force the chamber to use up debate time on the bill rather than swiftly move to pass it. Such a move could push approval of the bill to late in the week, and perhaps Saturday, though Paul can only slow the bill down and not outright block it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has signaled that the Senate would pass the bill as it was drafted by the House and without any amendments. The House passed the legislation last week. 

 

Under the bill, NNSA’s weapons program would be allowed to spend at the level of the Administration’s FY 2013 request, $7.6 billion, while USEC would receive $100 million of the Administration’s $150 million request for the ACP project. All other DOE programs would be funded at FY 2012 levels under the legislation.