A scheduled 2 p.m. vote to end debate on the Senate financial reform bill had to be pushed back this afternoon because of objections by Democrats.
The exact sequence of events is a bit unclear, but it centered around an attempt by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), who’s managing the bill on the floor, to call up some final amendments before the 2 p.m. cloture vote. But Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), who’s trying to secure a vote on his own amendment, and who is one of several progressives dismayed by Democratic leadership’s unwillingness to allow votes on consumer-friendly amendments, objected.
Dodd and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could try and cut off debate anyhow, but their decision to delay, at least for now, may indicate that they’re shy of the 60 votes they’d need to prevail. Democrats will be caucusing shortly, to figure out a way around the impasse. The way things work around these parts, that could take hours…or much longer.
