Senate Workload Growing As Memorial Day Recess Nears

Thu. May 8, 2008


The Senate starts a two-week sprint to the Memorial Day recess next week with a full slate of major bills, including an energy package that Republicans will try to use as a vehicle for exploratory drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a likely vote on the farm bill. An aide to Senate Majority Leader Reid said the Senate will start next week with Monday night votes on energy bills. The Democratic proposal calls for the government to suspend adding oil to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as long as the price of oil remains above $75 a barrel. The GOP proposal, which is expected to fail, would allow for drilling in ANWR and off the nation's coasts.

As early as Monday night, the Senate will vote on final passage of a flood insurance bill now on the floor. Though a series of amendments sponsored by Gulf Coast senators failed, the bill is expected to pass easily. Timing of the final vote will depend on how much progress the Senate makes on the measure this afternoon. The Senate overwhelmingly approved an amendment to forgive $17 billion in flood insurence debts caused by Hurricane Katrina, but other amendments were still waiting for votes today and Monday.

Reid is expected to call a cloture vote on a bill that would provide union protections for public service workers and to take up a farm bill conference report. The worker protection bill met Republican opposition last year, and it is not clear if it has enough support this year to move forward. The massive farm package has drawn the opposition of President Bush because of its cost and what he says are insufficient reforms to limit the subsidies paid to wealthy corporate farmers.

The Senate and House will also work on the Iraq supplemental next week. The Senate Appropriations Committee postponed its markup until next Thursday, at the request of leaders from both parties. "My patience is growing thin," Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd said in a statement. "I am putting my colleagues in both the House and Senate on notice that whether the House acts or not next week, the Senate Appropriations Committee will move forward with a mark-up of the supplemental appropriations bill. We must not delay this matter further. We need to mark up in full view of the public before we take this supplemental request to the Senate floor." House leaders plan to take their $183.6 billion war supplemental directly to the floor for a vote Thursday. The House is expected to consider the farm bill conference report Wednesday.

by Ben Schneider, with Christian Bourge contributing

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