Senate done voting until Nov. 14, setting up 'extremely busy' lame duck session

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday that senators will not return to Washington, D.C., to vote until Monday, Nov. 14, clearing the decks for vulnerable colleagues to campaign for five solid weeks until Election Day.  

“For the information of all senators, the next roll call vote will be on [Monday], Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m.,” Schumer said on the floor.  

But he warned that Senate colleagues should expect an “extremely busy” lame duck session during the second half of November and all of December as they still have to consider a defense authorization bill, an omnibus spending package, a bill protecting the right to same-sex marriage and other items that haven’t made it to the floor yet.  

“Members should be prepared for an extremely, underline extremely, busy agenda in the last two months of this Congress,” he said.  

The Democratic leader asked for unanimous consent for the Senate to proceed to the consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday, Oct. 11. 

Senators familiar with the timing of the defense bill said that proceeding to it next month while most lawmakers are back in their home states will allow the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to begin pre-conference negotiations on the annual defense bill.  

“While we have accomplished a great deal so far, more than any Congress in recent memory, and we all should be proud of what we’ve accomplished, we still have much to do and many important bills to consider,” Schumer said.