The Senate delayed its first vote of 2022 as a snowstorm hit Washington, D.C., on Monday, causing flight cancellations and difficult weather for traveling, The Hill reported.
The Senate had been scheduled to vote Monday on the nomination of Gabriel Sanchez as a judge for the 9th Circuit, but instead, after briefly convening with only Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in attendance, put off the vote until the next day, with as much as 10 inches accumulating on the ground.
Leahy, speaking from the Senate floor, made jokes about the unpaved roads, saying "apparently to a number of groups around this area, it came as a surprise that it was snowing and that snow can be slippery and probably should have gotten some plows out. Maybe they will; if not, we can hope for several days of warm sunshine, which is the best snow remover down here."
Leahy added, according to The Hill, in Vermont and Wisconsin "we usually go out and clear the roads. But I appreciate those few who are out there doing it."
The White House also canceled its daily press briefing due to the snowstorm, and the Office of Personnel Management announced all federal offices in Washington, D.C., would be closed Monday.
Meanwhile, the House remains out of session this week, although representatives will hold events Thursday on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol.
The Senate is expected to reconvene Tuesday, which would be the first time the Democrats will meet as a caucus since Sen. Joe Manchin announced he will not vote for his party's $2 trillion social and climate spending bill that passed the House last year.
Democrats are also continuing negotiations on changing the Senate rules after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to hold a vote on potential changes to the filibuster by Jan. 17 if Republicans continue to block legislation on election reform.
However, in order to change the rules, Schumer would need total unity from Democrats, a situation which might not exist currently.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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