Democrats called for adjournment five times Tuesday, and Thompson promised more adjournment motions would be brought up in coming days.
The use of this "adjournment power" would be particularly appropriate if the House prevents Senate adjournment in a bid to interfere with the appointment of certain public officials, a matter that the Constitution explicitly assigns to the President and the Senate.
Chances of passage before Congress's scheduled adjournment in October "would be slim at best," Mr. Shelby told reporters after the committee's hearing in Washington.
Normally on these occasions there would be an adjournment but the chairman was unfazed and told the witness to carry on regardless.
At his arraignment on Feb. 29, his lawyer, Paul Keefe, of the National Lawyers Guild, told him he could accept an adjournment contemplating dismissal, meaning the charges would be dismissed and sealed if he stayed out of trouble for six months.
Collins said the matter would be raised in an adjournment debate in the Commons on Monday.
The judge, who noted that Betson had sought previous adjournments of the appeal, said the case would be listed for hearing early in the new year.
Aides to the two leaders said it was unlikely that the differences between the two houses would be bridged before the official adjournment of the Legislature next week.
They asserted that the administration had held back the proposal until after Election Day and the adjournment of Congress because it knew the changes would be unpopular.
The majority received adjournments in contemplation of dismissal, meaning that the charges would be dropped if they stayed out of trouble for six months.
