Tensions Ease in the Senate

“The partisan tension that has brought business in the Senate to a crawl eased on Friday as Democrats and Republicans said they were calling a weekend cease-fire that will allow them to move on to more pressing issues next week like the unfinished budget and defense bills,” the New York Times reports.

“If the mood for most of the week was sour, on Friday senators seemed more exhausted than anything else, having endured two late-night sessions in a row. Because senators were on the floor at virtually all hours, they worked in shifts. Democrats occupied the presiding officer’s chair while Republicans took turns speaking from the floor to denounce what they said was an effort to stifle debate and dissent.”