After abandoning on Thursday night a $1.3 trillion omnibus Senate spending
bill, Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid filed cloture for the DREAM Act and a stand-alone repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – both of which are now expected to reach the Senate for final votes as early as today.
The Senate is now expected to vote on debate for both the DREAM Act and a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on Saturday morning, and the Washington Post reports that final votes on both bills could take place as early as Sunday or Monday.
The Saturday vote on “Don’t Ask” will be Senate Democrats’ third attempt this year to eliminate the policy, which prohibits openly gay men and women from serving in the military, and many believe it the best – and possibly last – chance to repeal the measure before a newly Republican-heavy Congress convenes in 2011.
The most recent attempt to repeal “Don’t Ask,” which was tied to a larger defense spending bill, is believed to have failed as a result of procedural objections by moderate conservatives like Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who has said he would vote for repeal – but not until Congress had passed a tax plan.
Upon the passage early Friday morning of a sweeping bipartisan tax bill, however, Democrats expect they now have the necessary 60 votes to avoid a filibuster and pass the bill.
Republican Sens. Brown (R-MA) (who on Thursday confirmed his willingness to vote for the bill), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) have said they would support the bill, and all but one Democrat – West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin – is believed to be in favor of voting for repeal.
The prospects of the DREAM Act, however, are less clear. The measure, which would provide undocumented young people with pathways to American citizenship, has inspired criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, and a Senate vote on the legislation was recently delayed due to lack of sufficient support for passage.
