Congress returns to Capitol Hill this week for a rare lame-duck session–and not a moment too soon.
Hard as it would have been to contemplate prior to the presidential election, this Congress now could send a reassuring message that Republicans and Democrats indeed can work together effectively to conduct the nation’s business. Or this Congress could revert to its bickering ways and add to the unsettled nature of this anxious political season.
The outcome of the presidential election is still very much in doubt, increasingly mired in controversy, ballot challenges, recriminations and escalating lawsuits.
But this isn’t in doubt: The House and Senate failed to finish their constitutionally mandated business of funding the federal government for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Both parties hoped that the results of the Nov. 7 election would better their bargaining positions, so they recessed–with their work undone–until this week.
This also isn’t in doubt: Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, neither Al Gore nor George W. Bush is going to enter the White House with a great mandate for change. The Democrats did pick up some congressional seats, but the Republicans managed to hold on to control of the House, albeit with an extremely slim margin.
Depending on the outcome of a still-contested seat in Washington state, the U.S. Senate could be split 50-50. And that about reflects where the nation is: divided right down the middle.
That means that, in order to get anything done, compromise will be essential–during this lame-duck session and once the 107th Congress is convened and the 43rd president of the United States is inaugurated.
The 106th Congress still must pass five of 13 annual spending bills governing seven Cabinet departments and dozens of smaller agencies. It also left hanging disputes over immigration policy, higher Medicare reimbursements for health-care providers, a rewriting of the Foreign Sales Corporation tax law, a proposal to raise the minimum wage and a package of offsetting business tax breaks.
This Congress has been rightly charged with being more interested in partisan gain than the national interest. Resolving its differences–and in a way that shows fiscal discipline on spending–at a moment of crisis could change that. This Congress could lead the way and give the presidential candidates and the nation a needed lesson in how it’s done in this democracy.
