Rapid Fire, Feb. 15, 2013 – US Senate Hard at Work | France Luckier than Finmeccanica in India

Ravin’ about Ravens

Democrats fell short by one vote to overcome a Republican filibuster of Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense. Filibusters of cabinet appointees are few and far between, especially when the nominee is from your own party, but the Republican leadership seems to be signaling this is more of a delaying tactic than a definitive rebuttal. At least the Senate had the wherewithal to congratulate the Baltimore Ravens for winning Super Bowl XLVII, which sounds right out of the Idiocracy movie but we are not making this up. Turns out Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is a huge fan. Program you DVRs to Feb. 26 for season 2, after the Senate’s 10-day recess. Majority Leader Harry Reid | SASC Ranking Member Jim Inhofe | WaPo | The Hill.

• Danny Werfel from the Office of Management and Budget told the US Senate Committee of Appropriations that furloughs triggered by sequestration would not start until April because of legal considerations. Senate | Federal News Radio | GovExec.

• Early next week the US Senate’s majority and minority leaders agreed they will introduce a bill to postpone/dilute/replace/forget-we-ever-brought-it-up sequestration. Define what you mean by “agree.” NYT | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.