Washington, D.C. Update 10/08/2010
With the midterm elections rapidly approaching and control of
both houses of Congress at stake, jittery lawmakers adjourned
early on September 30 to hit the campaign trail. The adjournment
was sooner than expected as lawmakers were originally scheduled
to be in session the week of October 4.
In the weeks leading up to adjournment, Congress accomplished
little in the way of legislative business. Democratic
congressional leadership has opted to deal with some of the more
thorny issues when lawmakers return for a lame-duck session after
the elections.
To be sure, efforts by congressional leaders to focus on
legislative business in the midst of a heated political season
proved to be most challenging. No doubt, leadership on Capitol
Hill felt pressure from rank-and-file members to return home to
campaign as Democrats tried to hold on to their majorities in
both chambers. However, congressional leaders were not immune
from election-year pressures as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-NV) is locked up in a tight race with his GOP opponent in the
Silver State.
Visions of capturing control of Congress provided a powerful
incentive for Republicans to head back to their respective states
and districts to campaign. With polls showing a strong
possibility that the GOP could gain control of the House, and
perhaps the Senate, Republican lawmakers were also anxious to
leave town.
Democrats, however, did have one notable legislative
accomplishment to point to before exiting Washington. In an
effort to jump-start the struggling economy, Congress passed and
President Obama signed into law the Small Business Jobs and
Credit Act of 2010. The nascent law establishes a $30 billion
lending program for small businesses to hire employees and expand
operations. The Act also provides for an additional $12 billion
in tax breaks for small business owners.
Among the major legislative items left unfinished were the
must-do appropriations bills for fiscal year 2011, which began
October 1. Given that Congress decided to delay action on the
various spending measures until after the elections, a continuing
resolution to fund the federal government through December 3 was
approved just before lawmakers adjourned.
Prior to adjournment, none of the 12 spending measures for fiscal
year 2011 had been finalized. The unfinished funding bills are
expected to be rolled into a massive omnibus appropriations
measure during the lame-duck session, which is scheduled to begin
November 15, or left for the new 112th Congress to complete in
January or February.
Beyond efforts to finalize the fiscal year 2011 appropriations
bills, it is unclear what additional legislation Congress will
have the time or desire to address in the lame-duck session.
While there is no shortage of issues for Congress to tackle, much
depends on the outcome of the midterm elections and the political
atmosphere surrounding Capitol Hill.
If Republicans capture control of one or both houses of Congress,
the dynamics of a post-election session probably would be sharply
different than if Democrats maintain the majority. GOP leaders
would no doubt find it difficult to approve legislation while
still in the minority, hoping to advance their own legislative
agenda when they take over the reins in January.
Nevertheless, other possible items left unfinished that could
surface in the post-election session include the expiring 2001
and 2003 tax cuts, a child nutrition reauthorization, and energy
legislation.
Lawmakers will also have to consider extensions of the nation’s
surface transportation and aviation programs during the lame-duck
session. The current authorizations of the federal highway and
transit programs, as well as programs under the Federal Aviation
Administration, expire on December 31.