The Senate late Wednesday quickly approved a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown on Saturday — although that might not have been clear to the casual observer.
Senators never mentioned the word “shutdown” or “spending” when they finally convened late Wednesday night to vote. It also happened much more quickly than the 30-minute votes normally seen in the Senate.
Here’s how it happened:
Sometime after 9 p.m., the Senate voted on a motion to instruct the sergeant-at-arms to request the presence of all senators. At around 10 p.m., that motion was approved 71-21, and most senators were in the chamber.
Then, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asked the Senate to vote on a defense appropriations bill that was stripped of its original language and replaced with language to keep open several federal agencies through Feb. 8. It sounded like this:
“I ask unanimous consent that the pending motion to refer be withdrawn, amendment number 4164 be withdrawn, and the Senate vote on the motion to concur with further amendment with no intervening action or debate,” McConnell said.
“Without objection,” said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., the presiding officer. “The question is on the motion to concur with further amendments.”
“All in favor say aye,” Flake said, and most said “aye.”
“Those opposed, no. The ayes appear to have it,” Flake continued. “The ayes to have it. The motion is agreed to.”
That was it. After about one minute, McConnell offered a brief explanation of what had just happened, but without saying explicitly that they just approved a two-month spending bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown.
“For the information of all senators, no more roll call votes tonight,” McConnell said. “We’ll still be in session tomorrow. We have to see what the House does with what we just sent them.”
The House was set to take up the bill Thursday.
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