Without unanimous agreement, Mr. Reid would have to take procedural steps to begin considering a bill.
"This is about the mechanics of the procedural steps and the timetable.
But the legislation faces intense opposition from some Republicans, who say they will seek to block it through procedural steps.
In its letter to the court, the Justice Department outlined the procedural steps that the F.D.A. plans to take.
Often, some operators said, the trauma does not set in until after the initial procedural steps have been completed.
At least four more procedural steps with arcane names have to be carried out before any bombing raids begin.
He dismissed the offer by the clandestine guerrilla group on Monday as "preparatory procedural steps" that fell short of real action.
To force a vote, Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader, took procedural steps on Saturday evening to require a vote to cut off debate on Monday.
"The Bulgarian state institutions have already started the procedural steps needed for the transfer," said Dimiter Tzantcev, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Senate Republicans rejected the terms of the deal and staged a filibuster against the procedural steps needed to convene a conference.
But to reporters, he argued that joining the Workers Partyy and writing the letters were just "procedural" steps taken by an academic wishing to research in North Korea.
