Tuesday Is Filibuster Deadline

October 8, 1999

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) has set Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for a vote to cut off a filibuster by northeastern Senators against the agricultural appropriations bill. Final debate on appropriations began Thursday evening, but today the Senate is to consider a treaty to ban nuclear testing, and Monday is the Columbus Day holiday. Subject to the Senate's always tentative schedule, ag appropriations consideration likely will resume some hours before the 5:30 p.m. voting begins.

Many observers expect that Lott will get enough votes to bring the months-long debate over farm spending to a close. But it often is difficult to predict the outcome of such cloture votes. In this case, the voting likely will be more regional than ideological with northeastern senators, especially those sympathetic to dairy producer issues, the bastion of opposition to the legislation.

The opposition claims the bill provides insufficient aid to drought-stricken East Coast farms. They also are incensed that it does not extend the Northeast Dairy Compact. Midwest senators had threatened to prevent the bill's passage if the compact extension was included. The provision was not included in either the House or Senate appropriations bill.