Democrats Plan Pre-Recess Push

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Democrats Plan Pre-Recess Push
By Edward Epstein, CQ Staff


As Congress enters the final stretch of an eight-week work period, Democratic leaders promise a busy legislative schedule — the better to expand the list of accomplishments that incumbents can brag about over the Memorial Day recess.

“We want to leave here with getting a lot of our work done here in the House,’’ said John B. Larson of Connecticut, deputy chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. “In the Senate, the Republicans are going to continue to block things.’’

The pre-recess rush, which will cap an unusually long series of workdays for both houses, is expected to include:

• The long-delayed farm bill conference report (HR 2419);

• An Iraq and Afghanistan war supplemental that could reach nearly $200 billion when domestic spending such as new veterans’ benefits are added in;

• Senate consideration of legislation that would provide collective-bargaining rights for firefighters, police officers, and other state and local public safety officials (HR 980). That bill might not gain enough votes for cloture, though, and could be bounced from the pre-recess agenda; and

• Possible conference negotiations on the budget (H Con Res 312, S Con Res 70). “I hope we get it reported next week, filed next week, so we could bring it up on the floor the following week,” House Budget Chairman John M. Spratt Jr. , D-S.C., said May 8.

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