On to the Senate

By a narrow margin, the Boehner bill has passed the House. Now, it's on to the Senate. The Hill gives a helpful summary of the possible schedule:

According to guidance from Reid's office, the majority leader is looking at the following possible schedule.

The House will vote on House Speaker John Boehner's debt ceiling plan on Friday evening, and it is expected to approve it. [It did approve it---FB]

The Senate is then expected to approve a motion to table the measure, as early as Friday evening. That motion only requires a majority vote for approval.

The tabling motion will allow the Senate to use Boehner's measure as a vehicle for a possible Senate compromise bill that would be worked out by Democrats and Republicans in the upper chamber.

If the two sides can reach such an agreement, Reid will file a cloture motion on the amendment to the Boehner bill on Friday night.

Reid's motion would set up a vote as early as 1 a.m. Sunday to end debate on that amended measure. Sixty votes would be required to end the debate.

If that vote succeeds, it would set up a possible final vote on passage of the new measure at 7:30 a.m. Monday, according to the guidance.

This would give the House two full days to consider that measure before the deadline at the end of the day on Aug. 2 is reached.

Technically, according to a Democrat aide, a compromise amendment could be filed Saturday and still allow a final vote on Aug. 2 but this would cut things very close.

The big question here is what compromise could pass the Senate that could also pass the House?