There may be only two months before Election Day, but Congress is returning to session and lawmakers are still looking at a congressional agenda with far more items than days left to consider them.
Not surprisingly, as my friend Eugene Oregon noted, Republican leaders are confident that the limited time remaining can be exploited for maximum political benefit.
House Republicans plan to use this month’s legislative agenda to focus pre-election attention on national security and prevent the Democrats from changing the subject to domestic issues that could help Sen. John Kerry’s White House bid.
Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and his forces want to pass a resolution as early as this week that would highlight the successes of the war on terrorism, echoing the themes of the GOP convention last week and seeking to build upon the political momentum Republicans grabbed in New York.
And when lawmakers are done fighting over a non-binding resolution that was written just to please Tom DeLay, they’ll move on to more important matters, such as tarnishing the Constitution with unnecessary amendments.
Republicans intend to use their control of both chambers to schedule legislation in an effort to put Democrats on the spot. In the House, the majority plans to hold a vote this month on the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and will force floor fights over abortion, taxes and reforms to the legal system. In the Senate, Democrats say they expect a floor vote on a proposed constitutional amendment barring flag desecration.
And if there’s any time left over, lawmakers might get around to considering some of the policy proposals of the 9/11 Commission and still-pending appropriations bills, but only if the GOP feels enough political points have been scored to allow actual governing to take place. I’m not optimistic.