Congress Watch: For now, all's quiet in the Senate
After months of relentless partisan warfare over judicial nominations, the life and death of Terri Schiavo, and the fate of John Bolton's nomination to be U.N. ambassador, the Senate seems headed for a comparatively quiet few weeks before the summer break. Majority Leader Bill Frist, signaling that he's in no mood for a fight with Democrats before the July 4 recess, has laid out a relatively noncontroversial agenda for the next few weeks. Frist says the Senate will begin consideration next week of an energy bill and then move to legislation for Interior and Homeland Security appropriations. More difficult issues like asbestos-compensation legislation and stem-cell research will have to wait until later.
"I think he's taking the path of least resistance," said one Democratic aide. But Frist may just be looking to get some legislation under his belt before the summer recess and probably would like to relieve some of the pressure of trying to do all 13 appropriations bills after Labor Day.
But even the path of least resistance is not without obstacles. And the most obvious snag in the easy schedule is the Bolton nomination, which, Frist says, will come to the Senate floor before the Fourth of July. Angry Democrats have held up a final vote on Bolton, demanding that the administration hand over National Security Agency materials relating to intelligence documents that Bolton requested while at the State Department. The White House has refused, and Frist says he is satisfied with its cooperation on Bolton.
Democrats, however, accuse the White House of stonewalling. "We've gotten nothing, really nothing," lamented Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday. "The White House has to respond to a branch of government that is its equal," said Reid, adding that he can't wait to get to the energy bill.
First, though, lawmakers must get through this week, in which they are expected to vote on and confirm some of the most controversial judges that President Bush has nominated.
California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown is expected to be confirmed today to the D.C. Court of Appeals, and three others, including William Pryor of Alabama, are on tap for confirmation by Thursday night.
advertisement
