The schedule also depends on the presidential election. Many observers say if Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is elected, Democratic leaders would have no need to reconvene in the waning days of the Bush administration, when Bush still holds veto power. But if Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is elected, it becomes more possible because Senate Democrats may prefer to deal with a weakened, departing Bush than a fresh, emboldened President McCain.
Perhaps the single most decisive factor is the length of any funding resolution that is passed next week. If the resolution is a short-term stopgap measure, until November or December, then a December lame-duck session becomes unavoidable. But at least one of several ideas being pushed by Democratic leaders in the Senate would be a longer-term measure that would fund the government into next February.
A November or December lame duck could let the steam out of the offshore drilling issue and avoid a government shutdown debate that would be perilous for both parties.
Absent a lame duck, Congress and the White House appear to be on a collision course. The current moratorium on drilling must be addressed by a continuing resolution, but Bush has threatened to veto the only drilling plan that’s been passed by the Democratic Congress.
“If the president wishes to kill funding for the government, that’s his decision,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), assistant to the Speaker. “But we’re going to put together a good CR.”
One key Democrat said Thursday he had “real concern” that the moratorium on drilling could go away entirely at the end of the month. That could even worry some Republicans in coastal districts with tourism economies, because it would allow drilling three miles off the coasts. At that distance, rigs would be easily visible from beaches.
House Democratic leaders met for more than an hour Thursday. During the first part of the meeting, they huddled with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who has become their go-to economist, on the troubles in the financial industry. But must of the rest of the meeting was on their end-game strategy.
Pelosi did indicate that she wanted a continuing resolution done before moving on to an economic stimulus package.
|
