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Senate Kills Controversial Amendments to FAA Bill, but Dozens Remain

The Senate on Tuesday night beat back a handful of controversial amendments, including one to issue a one-year moratorium on earmarks, to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill.

The chamber voted 68-29 to table Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) earmark measure. The Senate also voted 42-55 against a measure from Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) that would reauthorize the school voucher program for low-income families in Washington, D.C.

Still, dozens of pending amendments to the must-pass FAA reauthorization remain, which nearly assures that the Senate will be on the measure for the rest of the week.

The Senate is also scheduled to interrupt consideration of the FAA bill Wednesday to vote on a House-passed jobs measure, which would offer tax incentives to spur new hiring. The Senate passed the $15 billion measure last month but now must reconsider it after the House tweaked it to add sweeteners for the Congressional Black Caucus and fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats that brought the price tag to $17.6 billion. A final vote on the measure is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Also Wednesday, the chamber will vote on the impeachment of District Judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr. Porteous, who serves in the Eastern District of Louisiana, is facing corruption and misconduct charges. The House unanimously voted to impeach him last week.

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