The House began work on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (Interior approps, for short) yesterday, and Republican plans to use the bill for a wish list of anti-environmental riders (see the worst of them here) were protested briefly by a parade of pro forma amendments offered by Democrats under the bill's open rule.
In addition to the appropriations work, the House approved, under suspension of the rules, the Senate bill extending the term of FBI Directer Robert Mueller. The term of office for an FBI Director is normally limited by law to 10 years. This bill makes what's supposed to be a one-time exception, with a two-year extension.
The Senate was supposed to debate the nomination of two federal judges yesterday, and had expected a roll call vote on only one of them, but postponed all of that until today. And... well... that was it for the day, at least on the floor. Which is to say that they didn't do anything. I assume everyone was otherwise engaged in debt ceiling negotiations of one kind or another.
Looking ahead to today:
The House will return to Interior approps, but only after a diversion into this week's water-carrying for the oil industry. I think you could count on one hand the number of weeks the House has been in session this year without legislation coming to the floor to repeal some part of the health care bill, or giving something away to the oil and gas syndicate. Today's entry in the sweepstakes is the suspiciously-named "North American-Made Energy Security Act." Right away, you're asking yourself, "Why North American? Why not just American?" Unless you're Canadian, in which case you're asking yourself, "Why am I reading Daily Kos, eh? We have our own problems." Or Mexican, in which case you're asking yourself, "Why didn't he initially include us when thinking of North America?"
Well, the reason it's "North American" instead of just "American" (and the reason I didn't think first of Mexico) is that the Energy in question is being -Made in Canada. This bill is just about expediting a pipeline down to us so we can suck it all up.
Once that's done, there's a couple of suspension bills to rattle off, and then it's back to appropriations. Unless lightning strikes and the The Deal to Save the Universe emerges, and they decide to clear the House first. Unlikely to happen today, though. And unlikely to start in the House.
I was all set to say that I thought the Senate was the more likely of the two houses to be where The Deal begins. First of all, the indications are that the measure won't raise revenues anyway, so there's no constitutional problem with starting there (not that they can't be gotten around). Secondly, it's starting to look like whatever emerges will come out close to the proposal that Reid and McConnell sort of furtively approached the other day. Third, the Senate already has a bill pending that can be used as a vehicle for debate on any such deal. (Remember the "shared sacrifice" sense of the Senate bill? It's making some more sense that it was in bill form and not a resolution now, isn't it?) And finally, I believe the plan is to try to pass something in the somewhat less crazy Senate (OMG), and use that to put pressure on the House (where the Tea is brewed stronger) to get in line and get $#*& done.
But then I saw this:
Jamie Dupree
DEBT LIMIT PROCEDURAL UPDATE - House GOP takes a Senate passed bill as vehicle for "Budget Control Act of 2011"
Not really sure off the bat why the House would want to use a Senate-passed bill for this. The only thing I can think of is that under certain circumstances, offering the text of The Deal as an amendment in the nature of a substitute to a Senate bill frees you up from having to face a motion to recommit. Could there be an issue around which a MTR from Democrats could be crafted, such that it would peel off votes from, say, hard core Tea Party members? Republicans have been pretty disciplined on MTRs to date, unlike Democrats (thanks Rahm) who never really got their groove back on them after regaining the majority in the 2006 elections. That'd certainly be a remarkable declaration of how deeply divided the Republican conference is?and how tenuous the leadership's hold on it is?if that's really the thinking.
Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.
P.S.—By the time you read this, I'll hopefully be in the middle of another morning experimenting with Big Orange Radio. Catch me going on and on about the news of the day in between bites of breakfast and shooing the kids out the door and into the minivan for the ride to camp. Call in and tell me not to chew so loudly! Click here to listen, or for instructions on how to call. And if all you hear is music, don't worry. Here's the explanation. You're in the right spot and I'll be right back, just hang on.
Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/2UnN_TSuqBg/-Today-in-Congress
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