Congress left Washington with little action. They will be back on November 12th
WASHINGTON — In the weeks leading up to Election Day, members of Congress leave Capitol Hill to focus on their campaigns, with much of their work yet to be done.
The Republican House of Representatives and Democratic Senate plan to remain in recess until November 12, although urgent needs arising from Hurricane Helene (currently fully funded) may allow both chambers to reconvene before then.
When lawmakers return to Washington, D.C., they need to address the must-pass legislation they’ve been on autopilot, rather than negotiate new bipartisan compromises.
So far this year, lawmakers have delayed reaching brokerage agreements on must-pass measures like the farm bill as well as this year’s batch of government funding bills and annual defense policy legislation.
Children’s Internet Safety, Radiation Exposure
There are also measures that have passed one chamber with broad bipartisan support but have not yet been taken up on the other side of the Capitol, and leadership may decide to move forward on them during November or December.
For example, an interesting group of senators led by Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal and Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn are advocating for House Republican leaders to vote on: A pair of online safety billsDesigned to better protect children from the dark side of the internet.
this Railroad Safety Act The bill was drafted by bipartisan senators from Ohio and Pennsylvania after more than a year of intransigence over the East Palestine train derailment.
and legislation to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which Senate passed Earlier this year, a broad bipartisan vote gathered dust on the shelves of the House of Representatives.
cancer victim, Aboriginal communities and there are many othersThey pressured House Republican leadership to hold a vote to reauthorize the program after it expired this summer, but they did not do so due to cost concerns.
five weeks lame duck
Lawmakers and congressional leaders who spoke to The State Newsroom said the outcome of the November election will have a significant impact on what Congress approves during its five-week lame duck session in November and December.
All interviews were conducted before Hurricane Helene made landfall and before Iran directly attacked Israel, both of which are likely to be at the top of congressional leaders’ to-do lists.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune said it’s “hard to say” what, if anything, Congress will approve during the lame duck session.
“I think what happens in November is going to affect a lot of things,” the South Dakota Republican said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the day before Hurricane Helene made landfall that Democrats would advocate for natural disaster response funding previously requested by the Biden administration.
“Extreme weather events are on the rise, and they impact everyone — blue states, purple states and red states,” Jeffries said. “This is not a partisan issue, it’s an American issue where ordinary Americans have needs. At that time, their lives and livelihoods were turned upside down.”
Other priorities for House Democrats during the lame duck period include approving a dozen full-year government funding bills that should be completed by Oct. 1, a defense policy bill with the same deadline and a farm bill that is more than a year overdue.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he “certainly hopes” the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act reauthorization bill will reach the president’s desk by the end of the year.
He didn’t rule out lobbying to attach it to a must-pass government funding bill, but he said the real obstacle was House Republican leaders.
“It doesn’t need help from the Senate. It just needs the House,” Hawley said. “I’ve had good, productive conversations with Speaker (Mike) Johnson over the past few weeks, and I appreciate his personal involvement in this, which I hope will lead to action.”
Haley said it was “outrageous” that the House would allow RECA to expire, thereby preventing people who qualify for the program from receiving benefits.
Defense Priorities, Farm Bill
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., said staff will work in October to bridge the differences between the two chambers on the annual defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act.
These staff-level talks will lay the groundwork for Republicans and Democrats to meet when they return to Capitol Hill after the election.
“When we come back and go directly to the Big Four, we have to be ready,” he said, referring to the top leaders of the House and Senate. “That’s our goal.”
Reid said many of the disagreements between the House and Senate are not typical Defense Department policy issues per se, but “more political, cultural and social issues.”
Reed said Congress could begin discussing more military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine this year, though that would be more likely to happen next year.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said she was “pushing hard” for the House and Senate to reach an agreement on a farm bill in the coming months, though she warned that the talks would not be practical. constitute a meeting.
“I wouldn’t call it a conference. Technically, to have a conference, there would have to be a bill passed by the House and a bill passed by the Senate, and that’s not possible,” Stabenow said.
“But I believe there is a way,” Stabenow added. “I believe there are ways to get a bipartisan bill.”
Arkansas Sen. John Boozman, the top Republican on the Agriculture Committee, said lawmakers didn’t need the election results to “begin to resolve our differences on the farm bill,” adding that some new issues emerged from the negotiations. momentum.
“I think what’s changed is there’s a recognition among members, among all members, of how difficult it is to be a farmer right now,” Bozeman said. “So that’s really what’s changed in the last three or four months. It’s created a real sense of urgency for these people.
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said the election results could affect what lawmakers choose to accomplish during the lame duck session.
“There are a lot of scenarios, whether it’s the NDAA, whether it’s the Farm Bill, or whatever,” she said. “But it’s up to Leader Schumer.” New York Democrat Chuck Schumer is the Senate majority leader.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he expected Congress to reach some agreement on government funding legislation and the defense authorization bill, but not necessarily others.
“The weird thing is, the better the Democrats do on November 5th, the more we’re going to get done,” Kaine said. “Because I think if the House were to flip to the Democrats, I think Ruby would say, ‘OK, let’s get a lot of things done before the House collapses.'” So I think the better we do, the more we’re going to be a lame duck.
Kaine said if Democrats do well in the election, they may not need to approve additional aid to Ukraine in this Congress because the funding could last until next year.
“If we do poorly (in the election), we may need to do this in a lame duck,” Kaine said. “So it all depends.”
