Key Budget Votes in the Senate Today

There will be two key votes on budget bills in the Senate today:

Senate Democrats and Republicans will face off Tuesday on critical votes that will be a key marker on the budget negotiations aimed at averting a government shutdown.

Leaders in the chamber are expected to hold a vote Tuesday on a House-passed Republican proposal to cut $57 billion from 2010 spending levels, as well as a Democratic alternative that would cut $6.5 billion.

After losing round one of the budget battle last week, Democrats are hoping that the votes will represent a turning point in the budget talks. The competing bills have little chance of attracting the necessary 60 votes for passage, but Democrats are hopeful they’ll get more yes votes than the GOP. If that happens, Democrats argue, Republicans need to come closer to their budget-cutting number.

Both sides have targeted centrists in the other party to encourage defections. But leaders are playing defense as well, nervous about mavericks in their own caucuses who could give rhetorical ammunition to the enemy.

“It’s kind of like a game of chicken, and the question is which side is more united and determined,” said Bruce Cain, director of the University of California Washington Center.

Cain said the test votes are “going to be important.”

“You can imagine there will be real pressure on Democrats running in more centrist states,” he added.

I fully expect the Dem plan to get more votes because, after all, there are more Dems in the Senate than Republicans. However, if some of the Democrats who are facing tough elections in 2012 support the GOP bill, the whole debate could be dramatically shifted toward the GOP.