Senate may avoid weekend work

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says it doesn’t matter to him when the Senate votes on a clean government-funding bill.

Cruz, a GOP presidential candidate, has repeatedly criticized his leaders’ strategy in the funding fight and suggested he might seek to throw procedural roadblocks in their way.

{mosads}But on Thursday, he sounded a slightly softer note, saying it didn’t matter to him when votes were scheduled.

“I will use every procedural means possible to stop sending federal taxpayer dollars to fund Planned Parenthood,” he told reporters Thursday. “When it comes to fighting to prevent the underlying funding, it does not necessarily entail disrupting scheduling.

“Whether the vote is on Saturday or Sunday or Monday or Tuesday does not have a meaningful difference in terms of our ability to win the vote,” added Cruz, who is scheduled to open a new campaign office in Iowa on Saturday morning.

Senate GOP aides say Cruz couldn’t throw off the Senate’s schedule even if he wants to.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on a continuing resolution that would strip funding for Planned Parenthood. Democrats are expected to block that measure, which will force Republicans to move to a “clean” funding bill.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to file a cloture motion on Thursday on a clean short-term stopgap measure that would keep the government open until Dec. 11.

The cloture motion takes two legislative days to ripen but McConnell can avoid a weekend session by scheduling the Senate to be in session on Friday and then again on Monday, with Saturday and Sunday off.

Under Senate rules, it requires two legislative days — not two calendar days — between when a cloture motion is filed and the vote.

Cruz could try to force weekend work by objecting to the request to adjourn on Friday, but he could be overcome by a simple-majority vote.