Congresspedia News Updates

This week the Senate and House finally came to agreement with the White House on a bill funding the Iraq war through 2009 that also contains billions in new domestic spending and the House approved a Medicare pay fix for physicians. Several other issues have been pushed to after the July 4th recess after Senate Republicans threw some sand in the gears: a single senator stopped the housing and mortgage crisis legislation and another group stopped the renewal of the global AIDS package. In both cases the Republicans wanted votes or other participation on bills that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was trying to quickly push through. Still, the Senate did manage to confirm five nominations to the currently inactive Federal Election Commission.

By Congresspedia assistant editor Avelino Maestas

Last week the House capitulated to President Bush on giving immunity for breaking privacy laws to the telecom companies, passed the Farm Bill (again), and Maryland elected its first black woman to Congress.

The big action in Congress this week was on bills with big price tags: the $290 billion Farm Bill and a new $300 billion housing crisis bill. It also passed a law banning employers and insurers from using your genes to discriminate against you. And, of course, the race for Democratic superdelegates continues between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, with both picking up several endorsements.

The 2007 Farm Bill looks like it might be ready for a final vote as the House and Senate negotiate between themselves and with President Bush to find a bill that hits all the right political constituencies and has the right price tag. The latest version of the bill, which at $290 billion over ten years is $10 billion over the congressional budget rules and $4.5 billion more than President Bush wants, contains most of the usual subsidies and conversation programs of years past but adds several key provisions. Bush is pressing Congress to lower the income limits on farmers who can receive subsidies from the current $1.95 million to $200,000, well short of Congress' currently proposed $500,000. But Bush also supports keeping $5.2 billion in direct subsidy payments to farmers despite record crop prices, so he's not exactly uniformly thrifty. Also included in the current version of the bill is a $5 billion trust fund for farmers hit by disasters including floods, droughts and fires, a key demand of farm state Democrats and Republicans alike.

However, Bush has taken a hard line on the total price tag for the bill, and has raised a veto threat that Democrats say may be designed to bolster Sen. John McCain's anti-spending credentials. While it remains to see who will blink first, the extension that funds the farm programs is running out and some type of vote is imminent in the next week or two.

For more on this week's legislation and an update on Superdelegate endorsements, click through

This week, we saw Democrats in the Senate becoming more assertive in their second year as the majority party, as the chamber continued its fracas over electronic intelligence reform and prepared to vote on its own economic stimulus package.

The House on Tuesday passed its version of an economic stimulus bill. Backed by President Bush, the legislation includes tax incentives for business investment and rebate checks for working Americans. However, also on Tuesday, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), rained on the stimulus parade, signaling his committee would vote on an expanded economic package.

The Senate’s plan for stimulus varies from one drafted in the House. The Senate version would offer tax rebates check to more Americans, including seniors and the wealthy. However, those rebates would be worth less compared to the House proposal: $500 vs. $600 for individuals, and $1,000 vs. $1,200 for couples. It also raises the ceiling for who can get checks: for individuals, $150,000 and, for couples, $300,000. The House ceilings are half as high.

The Senate will take up the House version of the bill on Monday, and will then offer provisions of its plan as amendments. It’s unclear whether Democrats will have enough votes to include a long-term unemployment benefits extension or 5.6 billion in renewable energy and efficiency tax credits. There does appear to be support for funding low-income heating assistance.

There’s more on FISA below the fold including details on a deal reached in the Senate.

Following special elections in Ohio and Virginia this week, the U.S. House of Representatives welcomed Reps. Bob Latta and Robert Wittman today. Latta won the race to replace deceased Rep. Paul Gillmor, while Wittman was elected to fill the seat opened when Rep. Jo Ann Davis passed away earlier this year.

• In anticipation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's upcoming appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) sent Gonzales a letter detailing questions the chairman planned to ask, in order to help avoid so many "I don't recall" responses. (TPM Muckraker story)
  
  

• Two White House aides central to the U.S. attorney firings controversy were scheduled to appear in Congress, although the extent of the testimony they would offer remained questionable in light of President Bush's invocation of executive privilege. (New York Times story)

• The District of Columbia Republican Committee began lobbying Republican senators for support of the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, expected to come to the Senate floor in July. (The Hill story)

• Legislation expanding federally funded embryonic stem cell research was scheduled to be vetoed by President Bush, and lacks sufficient support to override a veto. (AP story)

• The NRCC announced that Dean Andal will challenge Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) in the race for California's 11th district in the 2008 U.S. congressional elections. (The Hill story)