Reid warns of weekend votes, blames GOP obstruction

“It’s Thursday, which mean once again the Republicans have wasted the better part of the week on procedural votes,” Reid said on the floor.

It’s a familiar refrain from the Senate leader, who often threatens to keep senators in Washington over the weekend but rarely follows up on it. Reid has been able to get legislation moving, however, by issuing the threat.

{mosads}Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is filibustering the Senate until he gets a vote on his bill to end aid to Pakistan. His filibuster forces the maximum time on each pending piece of legislation, delaying votes — including on the Veterans Job Corp Act — until he gets his way.

“This time Republican aren’t just obstructing a measure that would create jobs, but jobs for those men and women who’ve risked their lives protecting us,” Reid said. “This is really a new low for the Republicans.”

Wednesday night the Senate voted 84-8 to proceed to the the Veterans Jobs Corp Act that would create new job-training programs to help veterans find work in targeted fields such as national park conservation, historic preservation projects, police work and firefighting, among others.

Cloture was filed on amendments to the bill that included more suggestions from Republicans, meaning another 30 hours must pass before the next vote can take place, unless Paul stops his filibuster.

— This story was updated at 10:31 a.m.