Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell reached agreement to hold a number of votes on amendments today, two on each side. This comes one day after Judd Gregg’s “how to destroy the Senate” letter was leaked, which Democrats all the way up to the White House blasted yesterday. Perhaps the agreement shows some pull-back from the GOP.

The two women’s health amendments will receive a vote at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, and the two Medicare amendments will go up at 2:45 p.m.

Dick Durbin said on the floor last night that all amendments would need 60 votes for approval, under unanimous consent agreement. This was expected. The Mikulski amendment on women’s preventive services is likely to pass.

Looking at the list of other amendments due to be filed turns up at least one of interest: Byron Dorgan’s measure to allow the safe reimportation of drugs from abroad. This would blow up the White House’s deal with Big PhRMa. Take particular note of the co-sponsors:

SA 2793 (Dorgan)
Snowe, Grassley, McCain, Stabenow, Klobuchar, Brown, Shaheen, Vitter, Kohl, Leahy, Feingold, Nelson (FL) Prescription drug reimportation

This is the only amendment filed that has bipartisan sponsorship. Vitter, McCain, Snowe and Grassley are listed, representing support across the Republican caucus. If the 60-vote threshold remains, this is the only amendment that we need to pay attention to, because anything likely to pass would probably need bipartisan support.

Congress Daily reported that Bill Nelson is carrying another amendment, which would provide drug discounts to Medicare beneficiaries, and that would also blow up the PhRMa deal, but the same amendment already failed in the Senate Finance Committee. The reimportation amendment has bipartisan support and as such could pass.

At that point, Democrats would have a choice to make: whether to honor a deal with drugmakers at the expense of the American people.

UPDATE: Voting is happening right now on the women’s health amendments. Barbara Mikulski offered an amendment that would basically mandate certain women’s health procedures and exempt them from cost-sharing, and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) offered a competing Republican amendment. I would expect Mikulski’s to pass, but we’ll see.

UPDATE II: Barbara Mikulski’s amendment passes 61-39. I heard Ben Nelson vote no, and Susan Collins yes. Thought I heard Feingold a no as well. Roll call to come.

UPDATE III: Roll call here. Along with Ben Nelson, Feingold was a nay. I’d REALLY like to know what that’s about.

The three Republican yes votes? Collins, Snowe… and David Vitter. Vitter is going to be REALLY interesting to watch. He’s being pounded at home for his vote on the Franken rape amendment, and he’s up for re-election. Vitter is also a co-sponsor on the reimportation bill.