UPDATE: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just filed for cloture on the motion to proceed to debate on his health care bill. That pretty much seals it. Unless conservative Democrats take a very public stand by voting “no,” the bill unveiled yesterday will be the bill the Senate hashes out on the floor.
The Senate will be in session this Saturday evening, ahead of a scheduled 8 pm cloture vote on the motion to proceed to debate historic health care legislation, TPMDC has learned. Assuming Majority Leader Harry Reid has the 60 votes he needs to leap that hurdle, Democrats will likely have to eat up 30 hours before they can hold the actual vote–at a 51-vote threshold–on the motion to proceed itself. Still with me?
Doing some math, that means the bill won’t be cleared for debate and amendments and so forth until, at the earliest, 2 am Monday morning. Even if that happens, the bill will likely have to be read aloud (another two day process) so we’re still looking at debate in earnest after Thanksgiving recess.
And since nothing says Saturday night like Senate cloture votes on procedural motions, we’ll bring you all the action live.
