Tuesday: Reading the Constitution, starting work on Sandy relief

The House meets at 10 a.m., and will start the day by reading the U.S. Constitution on the House floor.

Today marks the second time the Constitution has ever been read fully on the floor — the last time was two years ago, when House Republicans first read it.

Under the process set up by Republicans, members of both parties can read portions of the founding document, and reading privileges will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis. House Republicans said Monday that they hope the reading reminds members that the Constitution places limits on the power of the federal government.

The reading of the Constitution should be completed before noon.

In the afternoon, the House is expected to start work on H.R. 152, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act.

The House Rules Committee approved a rule for this bill late Monday. The bill itself would appropriate $17 billion in Sandy relief, and the rule makes in order an amendment that would add another $33.7 billion in relief.

The committee made 13 amendments in order, but avoided most of the significant Republican proposals to scale back the size of the bill. Republicans opposed to increased spending without offsets are likely to have harsh words for the package as it is being presented on the House floor.

---