Senate to begin final push on legislation

The Senate will begin working its way through final votes on remaining legislation Wednesday, starting with a nail-biter vote on the budget reconciliation package.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said final passage on the budget bill, originally envisioned for Tuesday evening, likely will be the first order of business Wednesday.

That will give all senators a chance to be present for the vote -- including Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., who is in his home state preparing for gubernatorial duties -- and also Vice President Dick Cheney, who is returning from the Middle East, and may be called upon to break a tie on the budget vote.

The spokesman did not rule out that roll-call votes could occur Tuesday night on any points of order that may be raised against the reconciliation bill -- including a potential objection under the Byrd rule because the Agriculture committees did not meet savings targets in the budget resolution.

Following the budget vote, the Senate likely will vote to end debate on the fiscal 2006 Defense appropriations bill, which includes language to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that is opposed by Democrats and some Republicans.

If GOP leaders succeed in invoking cloture on that bill, they would move to a procedural vote to overturn an expected ruling that the ANWR language is outside the scope of conference. Congressional aides said after those two votes, the momentum should pick up for completing other outstanding legislation, possibly allowing for an exit Wednesday evening or by mid-day Thursday.

"Once the cloture vote is had, the water starts swirling down around the drain," said one Senate Democratic aide.

After final passage of the Defense appropriations bill, the Senate would turn to the defense authorization conference report. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor Tuesday morning that he will not insist on a cloture vote on that bill so it can be dealt with in one simple up-or-down vote. After that, a possible vote on extending the USA PATRIOT Act and approval of the fiscal 2006 Labor-HHS appropriations bill would cap Senate action for the year.