Democrats Move Some Bills to Senate Floor

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=3&u=/ap/20050425/ap_on_go_co/filibuster_fight

Democrats have quietly pushed several of their bills to the Senate floor to give lawmakers something to vote on if the fight over judicial filibusters gums up the works.


"I've always said that we'd make sure the Senate went forward, but we're going to do it on our agenda, not their agenda," said Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Reid has threatened to block the Republicans' legislative agenda if Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., succeeds in banning judicial filibusters.

Democrats stopped 10 of Bush's first-term appeals court nominations through filibuster threats and allowed confirmation of 34. But Republicans want to change that procedure to ensure that Democrats can't stop the seven of the 10 blocked nominees that Bush renominated, or any Supreme Court nominees if a vacancy occurs.