UPDATE: The Senate adjourned at 11:40 a.m. Friday without passing a pay fix. Senators will reconvene Monday.
The extenders bill that delays the 21% cut to Medicare payment rates appears to be going nowhere. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has brought the bill to the Senate floor at least twice over the last 24 hours. Durbin asks for the legislation to pass by unanimous consent, but Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) continues to object.
Under Senate rules, a bill cannot go forward when one or more senators objects to its passage. Bunning is objecting because the bill lacks offsets (meaning, it's not paid for by taxes or spending cuts elsewhere). Bunning's not the only Republican who probably objects, but he ends up looking like the bad guy ... or the good guy depending on your perspective.
We're aware of another bill that could save Medicare providers from the cut. It revives the idea of a seven-month Medicare pay-fix previously floated by lawmakers.