Republican Senators Better Get Some Power Bars

Long days ahead for those who are more a wall than a path to the future.

Democrats won an initial procedural vote necessary to allow the lawmakers to begin consideration of the health-care bill.

There will now be 20 hours of debate as Republicans try one last time to make arguments against the sweeping health-care changes.

From there, the minority party has the right to bring up unlimited numbers of amendments, each of which would require a vote.

Republicans plan to offer a flurry of amendments to the bill, which could delay its passage for days.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) said that they have “made no determination of how many amendments” would be introduced, but that they already had plenty ready to go.

“I think we want to have a number of amendments that will highlight deficiencies in the bill, help educate the American people as to the problems in it, and give the Democrats an opportunity to correct some of them,” Mr. Kyl said.

The amendments will allow Republicans to delay for as long as possible passage of the final piece of the Democratic health-care change.

Senate Democrats are expected to force the Republicans to hold back-to-back votes without a break, setting up some very long work sessions in the coming days.