While most Americans spent this weekend doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, the Senate spent Saturday and Sunday debating and voting on amendments to the START treaty, the DREAM Act and the repeal of the Defense Department's dont ask, dont tell policy.
When all was said and done, the Senate sent to the president the repeal of the dont ask, dont tell defense policy. The DREAM Act was defeated and the START treaty remains the pending business for further consideration Christmas week. With the passing of the dont ask, dont tell repeal, this will help allow the House-passed defense authorization bill to be considered in the Senate before Christmas.
Christmas week will also see the Senate continue to debate the START treaty and consideration and passage of a continuing resolution.
The appropriations continuing resolution will need to be passed through Congress before Dec. 21. This resolution will fund the federal government and all of our departments and agencies into the spring of 2011. This is the result of the defeat of the omnibus appropriations bill late last week.
When the 1,924-page appropriations measure failed to become the pending business, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, R-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., agreed that the Senate would pass a resolution continuing the funding for our government through the first couple of months in 2011. This will allow the new members of the 112th Congress, shepherded by Speaker John Boehner, to cut our federal government spending possibly back to 2008 levels. This is the first of many budget-cutting steps that the new Congress hopes to take early in the fiscal year.
The Senate could conduct another procedural vote on the 9/11 health care bill before they recess midweek for Christmas. This 9/11 health care bill failed to get the needed 60 votes in the Senate on Dec. 9. The vote was 57 to 42. The Senate GOP members opposed the bill and are asking that the estimated $7.4 billion cost of this compensation bill be paid for or offset. Senate Democrats are looking for offsets and are considering legalizing Internet gambling,and taxing it, as a way to pay for the 9/11 health care bill.
This Internet gambling bill is opposed by family groups, sports coalitions and most state attorneys general because many states want the right to decide if this gambling should be permitted in their state.
Also, this initiative is said to be a political campaign pay-back by Sen. Reid to his casino supporter Harrahs. Harrahs recently submitted a business IPO that included a new plan to bring in Internet gambling in their brick-and-mortar casinos. They asked for this Internet gambling bill to be passed in exchange for getting out the vote for Sen. Reid in his election bid this past November.The pay-to-play sort-of arrangement may see the light of day before the Senate recesses for Christmas.
The House will be in a bit of a wait-and-see position, awaiting the continuing resolution and possibly any changes made to the Department of Defense authorization bill, both coming from the Senate. Otherwise, the House members are ready, willing and able to end this lame duck session and adjourn this 111th Congress, sine die.
Finally, dont be surprised if the Senate reconvenes the lame duck session after Christmas and before Jan. 5. The reasoning for this: The Senate could complete the START treaty with the membership of the 111th Congress versus the new senators from the 112th Congress. Since a key Democratic senator will be missing votes beginning this coming week due to a medical situation, Sen. Reid may find it necessary to delay the final vote. His vote is needed to help the Senate Democrats garner the required 67 votes for ratification.
Stay tuned to see if the Senate will give out its last minute Christmas gifts before ending this lame duck session of Congress for the Christmas holiday.
Elizabeth B. Letchworth is a retired, elected United States Senate secretary for the majority and minority. Currently she is a senior legislative adviser for Covington & Burling, LLC and is the founder of GradeGov.com
