Archive for May 31st, 2011
Today in Congress
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011Recapping yesterday’s action:
No action at all yesterday. Both houses were out of session for Memorial Day.
Looking ahead to today:
Six bills are scheduled for floor action today, all under suspension of the rules, which means there’s a maximum of 40 minutes of debate, no amendments are permitted, and a 2/3 vote is required to pass. Normally, suspension of the rules is reserved as an expedited procedure used for bills that are non-controversial and have broad, bipartisan support. The other use for suspension of the rules is to dispense with bills you’ve decided for some reason you’d like to hold a vote on, but would also like to ensure will lose. And that’s what’s happening with the first of the bills being considered today: the “clean” debt ceiling increase.
A “clean” bill is one with no special conditions or riders pertaining to other subjects attached to it. So the “clean” debt ceiling increase bill would simply raise the debt limit, period. None of the concessions Republicans have demanded in exchange for their votes, like cuts to Medicare or Medicaid, the elimination of entire federal government departments, etc. And that’s why the bill isn’t expected to get enough Republican votes to pass the 2/3 threshold.
And when it doesn’t, count on Republicans to point to the failed vote and say that it means there’s no appetite in Congress for raising the debt limit without major cuts as a concession. Nevermind the artificially-imposed barrier to passage.
The other five suspensions, listed below the fold, are mostly of the first kind. That is, non-controversial bills with broad support. So aside from the first bill, which is designed to fail, the rest of the short work day should be relatively unremarkable.
Today’s floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.