Senators are circling a rapid escape from Washington today.
Majority Leader John Thune told Jordain the chamber could wrap up by the end of Wednesday.
“No certainty around this yet but it seems to be that everybody is … heading toward a glide path tomorrow night,” Thune said Tuesday about the Senate’s impending exit.
The decision will let battleground candidates get home to start campaigning as Republicans try to hold onto control of the chamber.
One issue to watch: Republicans were already missing two senators during Tuesday night’s vote — Sens. Dan Sullivan and Bill Cassidy. And they expect their attendance issues to only grow.
What’s left to do: Thune will bring up a House-passed bill to restrict the ability of members of Congress and their families to trade stocks. It also includes voter ID language being championed by frontline candidate Sen. Jon Husted.
Democrats are expected to block it with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accusing Republicans of “playing partisan political games” by linking the two efforts.
The Senate will then turn to a data center cost bill also championed by the Ohio Republican. Democrats have panned the bill as “toothless” and, as our colleague Amelia Davidson reported, appear to be gearing up to spike it.
Republicans will take a first step toward confirming Keith Sonderling to be Labor secretary. But with the 30-hour debate requirement for Cabinet nominees following an initial vote, final confirmation would keep lawmakers in session until late Thursday — when members decidedly do not still want to be in town and the attendance problems would likely only grow.
If Democrats could be talked into a time agreement, Republicans could confirm Sonderling before a Wednesday night exit. But Thune also appeared skeptical Sonderling would be finished before senators left, which would punt his confirmation into November.
A scheduling question mark: Senate Republicans have six resolutions to cut energy and ship-related regulations members want a vote on, but it’s not clear yet which will get floor time this week.
Thune told us he’d “like” to do some, but it would come down to “vote counts and attendance and everything else.”
What else we’re watching:
— DEMOCRATS UNIFY ON WEST BANK: Senate Democrats, including Schumer, overwhelmingly supported a resolution Tuesday that aimed to shed light on growing Israeli violence against Americans and Palestinians in the West Bank. The measure was ultimately blocked by Republicans in a 47-51 vote, but the unanimous Democratic support (minus Sen. John Fetterman) highlights Democrats’ increasing frustration with Israel’s military conduct across several regional conflicts, including the war with Gaza and the war with the U.S. against Iran. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who forced the vote, said in a statement after he was “pleased that so many of my Democratic colleagues joined this effort,” while slamming Republicans for what he deems denying accountability for crimes by Israeli settlers against Palestinian locals.
— SENATE AWAITS PERMITTING LANGUAGE — Senators on both sides of the aisle are waiting eagerly for the full text of a bipartisan permitting reform package to be released midday Wednesday, A summary of the bill’s broad provisions, obtained first by POLITICO, had been circulated already, but senators are eager to see the exact legislative language, particularly on the contentious issues that could decide how many votes the package gets in a lame-duck vote. “All the issues are solved in concept,” said Sen. Angus King. “We have to produce legislative language.”
Nico Portuondo and Pavan Acharya contributed to this report.
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