(This story has been updated to reflect new developments.)
The Senate has started debating whether to let an emergency anti-government shutdown bill come up for debate on the Senate floor.
The bill, H.R. 195, includes provisions providing temporary freedom from three major Affordable Care Act tax provisions.
The Senate is streaming live video of its proceedings here.
The Shutdown
The federal government is now on track to begin a partial shutdown at midnight tonight.
The anti-shutdown bill, which is packaged as an amendment to H.R. 195, a minor Federal Register cost-reduction bill, would give the federal government permission to continue with normal operations until Feb. 16.
The bill also would:
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Extend funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program for six years.
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Postpone reinstatement of the Affordable Care Act medical device tax for two years.
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Postpone reinstatement of the ACA health insurer fee for one year.
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Postpone the start date of the "Cadillac plan" tax, or a tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health benefits packages, for two years.
Analysts at the Congressional Budget Office have estimated the three ACA-related provisions would reduce federal government revenue by about $29 billion over 10 years.
The federal government generates about $3.7 trillion in revenue per year and spends about $4.1 trillion.
The House
