Good News IF it's True.....

Democrats' agenda for lame duck session shrinking quickly

By: Susan Ferrechio Chief Congressional Correspondent
November 15, 2010


Just before they adjourned in October, Democratic lawmakers talked about returning to a "lame duck" session after the election with an ambitious to-do list.

The list included spending bills, tax-cut legislation, a Dream Act to carve out a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants, and a measure that would require corporations and unions to disclose their campaign contributions.

Democrats even suggested the lame duck session could include a repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military and an attempt to merge House and Senate energy bills to incorporate provisions that address climate change, such as a renewable energy standard.

But after losing at least 60 seats in the House and six in the Senate, the Democrats' lame duck ambitions appear to have fizzled.

While Senate Democrats have not ruled out action on big-ticket items like the Dream Act, Senate Republicans are warning they have the votes to block it with a filibuster.

In the House, the lame-duck list is small and includes only critical items that must be addressed by year's end.

Here are the bills Congress is most likely to take up when they return this week:

» Expiring tax cuts: If Bush-era tax cuts are allowed to expire Dec. 31, everyone's taxes will go up. Republicans want to extend all of the tax cuts and make them permanent. Democrats want to extend the cuts only to individuals earning less than $200,000 a year and families earning less than $250,000 and may only extend them temporarily. If the two sides can't reach agreement, the issue could be delayed until the new Congress convenes in January, a move that would cause everyone's taxes to rise temporarily.

This bill could also incorporate other tax issues, including a measure to extend tax breaks to small businesses, language creating a new rate for the estate tax and a provision to keep the alternative minimum tax from hitting millions of middle-income earners.

» Unemployment insurance: Federal unemployment benefits expire Nov. 30. If Congress does nothing,as many as 2 million people will lose benefits that average $310 per week. It has become increasingly difficult for lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits because Republicans and a growing chorus of Democrats are demanding that the cost of such extensions be financed through budget cuts.

» Medicare: Under a government formula, the Medicare reimbursement rate for doctors is scheduled to shrink every year. Congress passes legislation each year to avoid the cut. The latest "fix" expires Dec. 1, and Democrats are eager to pass legislation extending it into 2013. More likely, the two parties will settle on a much shorter extension. If Congress does nothing, reimbursement rates will plummet 23 percent.

» Omnibus spending bill: Fiscal 2011 has begun, but Congress has yet to pass a single spending bill. Instead, the government has been operating under a special measure that keeps spending mostly at 2010 levels. Democrats say they will attempt to pass all the spending bills together, though it is also likely the two parties will not reach agreement and will have to put off the issue until January, keeping the 2010 spending levels in place until then.