Dangerous Lame-Duck Session in Congress about to start

[TayTay]

We need to watch this lame-duck session of Congress very closely. This is the last chance for the Repubs to submit their dream pork bills to their majorities to vote on and for a Repub President to approve.

The Senate opens today for 5 minutes in a pro-forma session. Very, very few Senators will be there. The session opens for the express purpose of filing bills to be considered before the 109th (Weasel) Congress adjourns in Dec.

Watch the crappy pork bills that are submitted. These could be way, way worse than anything we've seen before because this is truly the Repubs last chance.

[Greeby]

1. Actually, if the Senate is only five minutes, why does C-Span

List an hour and leaves a gap in their schedule for four hours?

[TayTay]

6. They always do that.

They are chartered to televise every second of the US Senate.

No one is in town for this and there are no plans for Senators to go into session. This is a pro-forma session that will allow bills to be introduced. Frist may or may not be there, he may hust designate someone to be there so that it is a legal session.

The Senate really comes back next Monday for speeches and then Tuesday for real. It should be an interesting session. The House has vowed to stay in session up to Christmas Day to get all the pork they can get before the gavel turns over.

[bullimiami]

2. the senate dems should fillibuster everything they dont like.

[ellenfl]

9. a filibuster would work now. the repugs are not

going to go 'nukular' on it because then they shoot themselves in the foot for the next congress. oh, wait, that's what they do best. :+

'speaker' pelosi (dontcha love it!) has promised to restore the rules, but they still better behave themselves.

ellen fl

[bryant69]

3. What would scare me more than some pork

Is Bush using this last chance to get the "beating up liberal Americans" act through or something like that.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Actually, I don't see much happening.

Dems stall anything drastic at this point. All they need to do is run out the clock now. In fact, I'm not all that sure the spending bills will even get done now, especially if Republicans don't restore the $2 billion to Labor/HHS/Education that they'd previously promised (they had taken the funds from Defense, but restored full Defense funding a month or so ago. No one knows what will happen with that money that was promised now).

[onenote]

13. as usual, you have it exactly right

Nothing controversial is coming out of this lame duck session. Period.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. Hey, it's my job to get it right.

I wouldn't be a very good lobbyist if I didn't. :-)

[Vorta]

5. It's amazing how brazen they can be

Lame ducks in the Florida legislature were literally filling their pockets in broad daylight after term limits were passed.

[TayTay]

7. Watch the Omnibus bill that is introduced

Last year's bill was 1100 pages long and included something for every Repub to put under their Christmas Tree.

The Congress must authorize the budget bill for the US Government to continue. (Remember Clinton and Gingrich locked in a dispute that shut down the government back in '95?) A budget must pass. The Omnibus bill does contain the budget, however it also contains a whole lot of other stuff that people attach to this must-pass bill.

This year's bill could be just awful.

[bluestateguy]

8. If ever there was an appropriate time for Senate fillibusters

it is now

[Eugene]

10. The India nuke deal is on the lame duck agenda next week.

U.S. to table India atomic bill next week - envoy - Reuters

The Bushies want to get this deal ratified now or they will
have to face a more skeptical Democratic Congress.

My biggest concern is that the Repugs will make one last
attempt to get Yosemite Sam Bolton confirmed. Aside from
the risk of derailing their agenda, they have little to lose.

[TayTay]

11. Bolton is dead, unless Chafee decides it's a 'screw you' moment

and I doubt that. India is interesting. That was supposed to be a done deal a while ago. Now, not so much.

[StoryTeller]

12. Thanks TayTay!

I recommended this thread because I think it's really important that we be aware of this.

:hi:

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

15. they'll be too busy planning their last free government travel

[bikebloke]

16. Spite legislation

I was wondering if they'd try to rubber stamp some things just so they could blame it on the new incoming Congress. Like the draft. Hopefully, there are mechanisms that haven't been stripped away to halt that sort of thing.

[onenote]

17. It simply isn't that easy

It would be all but impossible to pass something as controversial as legislation reinstating the draft in a lame duck session. It is extremely easy to stop/delay legislation and this is going to be a very short session focusing on passing appropriations legislation needed to fund the continued operation of the govt. While various extraneous matters may be added to an approps bill, that will occur only if the added provisions have broad support. They may also confirm Gates as Secy of Defense.