They're Back
Congress reconvenes today after the election break, and according to an article in the NY Times, it has a full load of work facing it. The question is, how much do we really want these lame ducks to do?
Despite devastating losses at the polls, Republicans will control the post-election session that opens Monday as lawmakers return to try to finish 10 overdue spending bills and other legislation that stalled because of pre-election gamesmanship.
Republican leaders have compiled an ambitious to-do list, hoping to dispose of energy legislation, a trade deal or two, a civilian nuclear treaty with India and other favored bills before turning over the keys to the House and Senate chambers to the Democrats in January.
Democrats have some measures they want completed as well, most notably the spending bills, to save them the added work next year.
President Bush, hoping to get the most out of the remaining days of a Republican majority, is pressing two contentious matters: legislation authorizing domestic wiretapping by the National Security Agency and the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. And the Senate has scheduled confirmation hearings for Robert M. Gates to be the new secretary of defense to begin the week of Dec 4.
Members of both parties in Congress have all but written off the wiretapping legislation and the Bolton nomination, given the strong Democratic opposition and the impending power shift. It is also uncertain how hard Congressional Republicans will be willing to press Mr. Bush’s more divisive issues. Some have expressed anger at his decision to remove Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld the day after the election, contending that earlier action might have cut Republican losses.
Getting the budget work done is a must-do: we've waited long enough for that. Deciding on a new Defense Secretary, Robert Gates or another, should also be considered before the Holiday recess, but there should be real hearings on his nomination, not just the pro forma speechifying and approval that we've seen from this Congress the past two years.
That having been said, there is absolutely no reason for the Democrats to allow votes on the Bolton nomination, the NSA wire tapping bill, the oil drilling bill, even the approval of the India nuclear energy bill. We shouldn't have to wait until January to see the results of last week's election. The days of rubber stamping the President's wishes into law are over.
Despite devastating losses at the polls, Republicans will control the post-election session that opens Monday as lawmakers return to try to finish 10 overdue spending bills and other legislation that stalled because of pre-election gamesmanship.
Republican leaders have compiled an ambitious to-do list, hoping to dispose of energy legislation, a trade deal or two, a civilian nuclear treaty with India and other favored bills before turning over the keys to the House and Senate chambers to the Democrats in January.
Democrats have some measures they want completed as well, most notably the spending bills, to save them the added work next year.
President Bush, hoping to get the most out of the remaining days of a Republican majority, is pressing two contentious matters: legislation authorizing domestic wiretapping by the National Security Agency and the nomination of John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. And the Senate has scheduled confirmation hearings for Robert M. Gates to be the new secretary of defense to begin the week of Dec 4.
Members of both parties in Congress have all but written off the wiretapping legislation and the Bolton nomination, given the strong Democratic opposition and the impending power shift. It is also uncertain how hard Congressional Republicans will be willing to press Mr. Bush’s more divisive issues. Some have expressed anger at his decision to remove Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld the day after the election, contending that earlier action might have cut Republican losses.
Getting the budget work done is a must-do: we've waited long enough for that. Deciding on a new Defense Secretary, Robert Gates or another, should also be considered before the Holiday recess, but there should be real hearings on his nomination, not just the pro forma speechifying and approval that we've seen from this Congress the past two years.
That having been said, there is absolutely no reason for the Democrats to allow votes on the Bolton nomination, the NSA wire tapping bill, the oil drilling bill, even the approval of the India nuclear energy bill. We shouldn't have to wait until January to see the results of last week's election. The days of rubber stamping the President's wishes into law are over.
posted by Diane at 3:46 AM
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