–Senate Majority Leader Says Senate Will Vote At 10:15 ET To End Debate
–Sen. Reid: Senate Should Send Bill To House ‘Quickly’
–Senate To Resume Debate on START Treaty

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – Both the House and Senate are expected to pass
Tuesday, a stop-gap spending bill to keep the government running until
March 4.

In comments on the Senate floor Tuesday, Majority Leader Harry Reid
said he hopes the Senate can pass the stop-gap funding bill “very
quickly” so it can be sent to the House for its consideration and vote.

A Senate vote to end debate on the measure is set for Tuesday at
10:15 a.m., and Reid said he would like a final Senate vote relatively
early in the day.

The House returns to Washington Tuesday to vote for the stop-gap
spending bill and a few other items.

Last Friday, Congress passed a three day stop-gap spending bill
that funds the federal government until tonight at midnight.

Several weeks ago, the House passed a year-long stop gap spending
bill that would have funded the government for the rest of fiscal year
2011 at fiscal year 2010 spending levels.

Senate Democrats initially tried a different approach, combining
all 12 of the regular spending bills into an omnibus package. But
Senate Republicans balked at the measure’s $1.1 trillion cost and
it’s length at nearly 2,000 pages as reasons for blocking the
measure.

Republicans also cited the measure’s inclusions of hundreds of
earmarks as a reason to oppose the omnibus spending bill. However,
lawmakers from both parties were recipients of these proposed earmarks.

Congress has not passed any of the 12 regular spending bills for
the 2011 fiscal year that began Oct I. A series of short-term spending
bills has kept the government funded.

House and Senate leaders are trying to wrap up their work for
the year this week.

Senate Democratic leaders are trying to pass a nuclear arms
reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia in the coming days as well
as the stop-gap spending bill.

Reid has said he would also like the Senate to pass a health care
and compensation bill for the responders to the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks.

House leaders have indicated that the stop-gap spending bill is
one of the final item’s on their agenda this year. The House could also
consider a bill to reauthorize science, education and technology
programs.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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