By Sam Youngman
The Hill
Tuesday 19 June 2007
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) efforts to complete work on the immigration bill might again disrupt the weekend travel schedules of those senators running for president.
Reid's warning on the Senate floor yesterday that "if they're going to be gone from the Senate, they're likely going to miss votes," prompted an aide to one of the presidential campaigns to respond simply, "Yuck."
Reid also suggested the Fourth of July recess might be canceled if the Senate can't complete meaningful work on energy and immigration legislation.
"It's our last week here before the July recess, and we've got work to do," Reid said yesterday. "And I hope we don't run into the July 4th recess, but we may have to if we can't get things done. So I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news regarding the schedule, but also we have obligations to complete energy and immigration."
A review of the candidates' planned weekend schedules shows that they all plan to be on the road, giving major policy addresses or raising money as time runs out on the second fundraising quarter.
And this isn't the first time the majority leader's ambitions for the Senate have thrown a wrench into candidates' travel plans.
Reid scheduled a weekend vote on an Iraq war resolution in February, complete with a threat to cancel the President's Day recess, sending most candidates scrambling to adjust their schedules.
At the time, Reid spokesman Jim Manley said no special consideration would be given to senators seeking the Oval Office. "We've got business to do," Manley said.
This weekend, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to be in Little Rock, Ark., to deliver the keynote address to the state party's Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner.
When Reid called for the Iraq vote in February, Clinton flew from New Hampshire to Washington to vote in the afternoon, then flew back to New Hampshire for an evening campaign event.
Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) schedule calls for him to address the 26th annual Synod of the United Church of Christ in Hartford, Conn., on Saturday, followed by a "community kick-off" event in San Antonio on Sunday.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has struggled with the immigration issue perhaps more than most, accused by his party's conservative base of advocating "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
Indeed, both immigration and the Iraq war have dogged the senator at every turn in what many consider a struggling presidential campaign. McCain was one of few senators who opted not to return to Washington for the Iraq vote in February.
McCain spokesman Danny Diaz said the senator is planning to travel this weekend, but the staff is "closely monitoring developments."
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is scheduled to deliver a "big policy speech" on national service in New Hampshire.
And Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) is planning to be in the early-caucus state of Nevada this weekend. "If there are important votes, Sen. Biden will most likely be there," a Biden aide told The Hill.
An aide to Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who will wrap up an Iowa bus tour this week, said if there are votes, the senator will be in Washington.
Reid said yesterday he doesn't expect the Senate to pick up immigration until late Thursday, "which will mean votes over the weekend."
While the majority leader said passage by unanimous consent is "always possible," it is likely the Senate will work over the weekend, with votes on Monday before 5:30.
The candidates' day jobs present something of an advantage to those presidential contenders who do not serve in the Senate, especially with the second fundraising quarter coming to a close at the end of the month.
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Elana Schor contributed to this report.
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