The House and the Senate could, through a procedural agreement, basically do this through unanimous consent.

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The procedural agreement meant that amendments by both parties required 60 votes to advance, rather than a simple majority.

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"This request is designed to protect our rights in the WTO, fully in line with the procedural agreement reached with the US in September, " European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said.

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The tax agreement I think obviously passed an important procedural hurdle yesterday and hopefully will be agreed on by the Senate today.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

We believe that the test vote in the Senate last night, the procedural vote, demonstrates the broad bipartisan support that the agreement enjoys not just in the Senate but with the American people and that we believe that what the Senate will pass, we hope today, will be the framework for what is taken up and agreed quickly by the House of Representatives.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

So what I said before about a willingness for a couple of days if we had an agreement and needed to, because of all the procedural things you need to go through in Congress to get something done, that that potential remains.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing