“I don’t know — 50-50,” said GOP Policy Chairman John Thune (S.D.), when asked to assess the party’s chances of blocking the package. “We’ll use amendments, points of order, whatever works. We’re assuming we can have a fair and open, honest debate as far the parliamentarian is concerned. We don’t have any reason to believe that won’t be the case.”

“I have no idea,” said Sen. Judd Gregg, ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, when asked to gauge the chances for GOP success. “We intend to make it a heavy lift to pass a reconciliation bill across the floor, which we think is a very bad bill.”

2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain (Ariz.) said President Barack Obama’s postponement of his Indonesia trip suggests that Democrats are confident of their votes in both the House and Senate.

“I just don’t know. I just don’t know,” McCain said when asked about the chances for blocking the bill. “It’s hard for me to imagine the president delaying his trip without them thinking they’re going to pass it, but we’ll keep fighting.”