Senate Shifts as Spending Fight Looms

By Erik W. Robelen & Ben Wear

Washington

Official Washington spent much of last week asking, first, "Will he or won't he?" That quickly morphed into "Why did he?"

But with iconoclastic Vermont Sen. James M. Jeffords now an ex-Republican and the Senate headed for Democratic control, the most pressing question is what Mr. Jeffords' abrupt change to Independent status might mean for the agenda of the White House and Congress, including the education bill still pending in the Senate.

Several lawmakers and lobbyists interviewed late last week said the new party lineup was likely to have little effect on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. The House overwhelmingly approved its version of the bill May 23, and the bipartisan Senate bill is...