2 roll call votes at noon; next series of votes Monday at 5:30pm
Friday, December 13th at noon 2 roll call votes:
- Confirmation of the Higginbottom nomination
o Live quorum (no roll call vote expected)
- Cloture on Executive Calendar #406, Anne W. Patterson, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Ambassador, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Near Eastern Affairs) (up to 8 hours of equally-divided, post-cloture debate)
Sunday, December 15th at 1pm:
- The Senate will convene for legislative business only. The Majority Leader is expected to file cloture on the House message to accompany H.J.Res.59, the bipartisan budget agreement and the House message to accompany H.R.3304, the Defense Authorization bill.
Monday, December 16th at 5:30pm at least 3 roll call votes:
- Confirmation of the Patterson nomination
- Motion to invoke cloture on the Johnson nomination
- Confirmation of the Johnson nomination
- Additional procedural votes are possible. Senator Reid is expected to file additional cloture motions on several nominations.
The unofficial transcript of Senator Reid's remarks is below.
MR. REID: I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT IF CLOTURE IS INVOKED ON
THE PATTERSON
NOMINATION THAT AT 5:00 P.M. ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, ALL
POSTCLOTURE TIME BE CONSIDERED EXPIRED, THE SENATE THEN PROCEED
TO VOTE ON THE CONFIRMATION OF THE PATTERSON NOMINATION. THAT
UPON DISPOSITION OF THE PATTERSON NOMINATION, THE SENATE
PROCEED TO VOTE ON THE MOTION TO INVOKE CLOTURE ON THE JOHNSON
NOMINATION. IF CLOTURE IS INVOKED ON THE JOHNSON NOMINATION,
THAT ALL TIME BE YIELDED BACK AND THE SENATE PROCEED TO VOTE ON
CONFIRMATION OF THE JOHNSON NOMINATION.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: IS THERE OBJECTION?
WITHOUT OBJECTION.
MR. REID: MADAM PRESIDENT, I --
MR. REID: MADAM PRESIDENT, WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE TWO VOTES AT 12:00 NOON TODAY. AFTER THAT, THE
NEXT VOTE WOULD
BE AT 5:30 ON MONDAY. THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF VOTES ON
MONDAY.
MR. REID: MR. PRESIDENT, AS I INDICATED THIS MORNING, THE
REPUBLICAN LEADER AND I HAVE SPENT SOME TIME TOGETHER AND I
THINK WE'VE HAD A PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION ON THE SCHEDULE. THE
SCHEDULE'S BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR EVERYONE. WE WORKED OUT
A SCHEDULE THAT ALLOWS FOR THE NEXT SET OF VOTES
WHICH WILL OCCUR AT 12:00 NOON TODAY, WILL BE THE LAST VOTES OF
THIS WEEK. WE AGREED THAT ON MONDAY EVENING, THE SENATE WILL
VOTE ON THE MATTERS THAT WE WOULD HAVE VOTED ON THE REST OF
TODAY AND THIS WEEKEND.
SO ON MONDAY AT 5:30 IN THE AFTERNOON, THE SENATE WILL VOTE ON
PATTERSON, JOHNSON AND THEN ONE WOULD BE ON -- THE CLOTURE ON
JOHNSON AND THEN IT WOULD BE CONFIRMATION. THEY'RE -- WE'RE
DOING OUR UTMOST TO FINISH OUR BUSINESS HERE A WEEK FROM TODAY
SO THAT WE CAN GO HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. SO WE'LL BE IN SESSION
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE NO VOTES ON SUNDAY. THE NEXT
ROLL CALL, I REPEAT FOR
THE THIRD TIME, WILL BE 5:30 MONDAY. ON TUESDAY, WE'LL BE BEGIN
CONSIDERATION OF THE BUDGET. ON WEDNESDAY, THE DEFENSE BILL.
AND AFTER THAT WE'LL ADDRESS FURTHER NOMINATIONS, OF WHICH THE
MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS JANET YELLEN TO BE ON THE FEDERAL
RESERVE. THE OTHERS I WILL WORK WITH SENATOR McCONNELL, WE'LL
FILE ON A NUMBER OF THEM, SEE HOW MANY WE CAN GET DONE. I
PERSONALLY THANK THE SENATORS FOR THE COOPERATION THIS WEEK.
AND NEXT WEEK AS WE WORK THROUGH THESE IMPORTANT MATTERS. AND I
KNOW, MADAM PRESIDENT, THAT THERE IS A LOT OF WORK WE HAVE TO
DO TO GET BACK TO REGULAR ORDER. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH
THE DEFENSE BILL THAT WE'RE GOING TO VOTE ON AND THE BUDGET
BILL, BUT I'M SATISFIED THAT WE'VE MADE PROGRESS. SO I NOW ASK
UNANIMOUS CONSENT THAT WHEN THE SENATE COMPLETES ITS BUSINESS
TODAY, IT ADJOURN
UNTIL 1:00 P.M. ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15. THAT FOLLOWING THE
PRAYER AND THE PLEDGE, THE MORNING HOUR BE DEEMED EXPIRED, THE
JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS BE APPROVED TO DATE, THE TIME FOR THE
TWO LEADERS BE RESERVED FOR THEIR USE LATER IN THE DAY AND THE
SENATE CONVENE FOR LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS ONLY.
