ID :
21778
Mon, 09/29/2008 - 10:31
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/21778
The shortlink copeid
Senate vote on N-deal possible Monday
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Sep 28 (PTI) Asking his colleagues to drop their objections to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the landmark agreement could be brought to a vote in his Chamber, possibly as early as Monday.
"... what are we going to do on Monday? We may have to
have a vote on the defence authorisation bill.... we've got to
do the defence authorisation bill, we have to do Amtrak. we
have to do the nuclear treaty with India," Reid said on the
Senate floor yesterday before the approval of the legislation
in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He also urged his colleagues in the Senate to drop their
objections to the deal.
The Senate Majority Leader's appeal came against the
backdrop of information that it is not a lone Senator who has
placed a "hold" on the movement of the Bill of Approval of the
civilian nuclear cooperation agreement in the Senate.
Sources have told PTI that the number of Senators who
have placed a "hold" could be as high as five.
Senior Republican sources have immediately distanced
themselves from the "hold", pointing to the fact that no
lawmaker in the Senate from the Grand Old Party has stood in
the way since the time of the Hyde Act in 2006.
Reid said: "...we're taking a look at, a package of
bills. Each one of those is something we can complete next
week. For people who are concerned about the India nuclear
agreement -- and there are several Senators that have concerns
about that -- all we would be doing is running out the time."
Unlike the voting in the House that had to be a
two-thirds majority under the Suspension of Rules, it is a
simple majority in the Senate, where the deal could be brought
to a vote under the special rules of consideration.
"There's statutory time that we have on that. And we can
run that out. At the end of that time, Senators have 10 hours
of debate time and then we vote. So there's very few hurdles
we have to jump through on that...," Reid told lawmakers in
discussing the full agenda.
"... the time (has) started running... so those are the
things we have to do before we leave here, and of course I
haven't mentioned the big one which is the financial rescue
plan," he said.
Sources maintain that one of the issues on the agenda
when the Senate convenes tomorrow morning at 11 am (2030 hrs
IST) could be the approval legislation of the U.S.-India
civilian nuclear cooperation with Senators picking up the H.R.
7081 bill, which is the exact version of the Senate S 3548 and
approving it after debate and vote.
" ... It will be next week, but it will pass," a top
Senate staffer said. PTI SK
Washington, Sep 28 (PTI) Asking his colleagues to drop their objections to the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the landmark agreement could be brought to a vote in his Chamber, possibly as early as Monday.
"... what are we going to do on Monday? We may have to
have a vote on the defence authorisation bill.... we've got to
do the defence authorisation bill, we have to do Amtrak. we
have to do the nuclear treaty with India," Reid said on the
Senate floor yesterday before the approval of the legislation
in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He also urged his colleagues in the Senate to drop their
objections to the deal.
The Senate Majority Leader's appeal came against the
backdrop of information that it is not a lone Senator who has
placed a "hold" on the movement of the Bill of Approval of the
civilian nuclear cooperation agreement in the Senate.
Sources have told PTI that the number of Senators who
have placed a "hold" could be as high as five.
Senior Republican sources have immediately distanced
themselves from the "hold", pointing to the fact that no
lawmaker in the Senate from the Grand Old Party has stood in
the way since the time of the Hyde Act in 2006.
Reid said: "...we're taking a look at, a package of
bills. Each one of those is something we can complete next
week. For people who are concerned about the India nuclear
agreement -- and there are several Senators that have concerns
about that -- all we would be doing is running out the time."
Unlike the voting in the House that had to be a
two-thirds majority under the Suspension of Rules, it is a
simple majority in the Senate, where the deal could be brought
to a vote under the special rules of consideration.
"There's statutory time that we have on that. And we can
run that out. At the end of that time, Senators have 10 hours
of debate time and then we vote. So there's very few hurdles
we have to jump through on that...," Reid told lawmakers in
discussing the full agenda.
"... the time (has) started running... so those are the
things we have to do before we leave here, and of course I
haven't mentioned the big one which is the financial rescue
plan," he said.
Sources maintain that one of the issues on the agenda
when the Senate convenes tomorrow morning at 11 am (2030 hrs
IST) could be the approval legislation of the U.S.-India
civilian nuclear cooperation with Senators picking up the H.R.
7081 bill, which is the exact version of the Senate S 3548 and
approving it after debate and vote.
" ... It will be next week, but it will pass," a top
Senate staffer said. PTI SK
