The Rapid-Fire Nature of the House

8:57 PM
Most of the dramatic debates of my lifetime have taken place in the U.S. Senate, not the U.S. House -- the key nominations and the critical close votes typically have taken place in the Senate versus the House. So, it is interesting, as a pivotal close vote takes place in the House to note the differences.

House debates are simply less fun. More members, less time, more rapid fire. 1 and 2 minute speeches barely scratch the surface of the content of the bill, as opposed to the hour-long discussions that frequently take place on the Senate floor.

The House is certainly more efficient, but this debate is a lot less fun to watch than the dramatic moments in the Senate. There is something to that old line about the "world's most deliberative body".

By my count, the GOP has about 28 minutes of time left and the DEMs just less than 21 minutes. But we won't be voting in 49 minutes because of the extended transition times and the consent requests. Expect the voting to begin between 10:30 and 11:00 and the House to gavel closed between 11:30 and midnight.