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110th
Congress Convenes Under Democratic Management |
Posted:
01.08.07
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For the first time in a dozen years, both the Senate and the
House of Representatives are under the control of the Democratic
Party.
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Democrats, who took back control of both houses of Congress
in November's elections, have pledged to increase the minimum
wage, cut student loan interest rates, fund stem cell research,
end subsidies to energy companies and increase scrutiny of the
Iraq war budget.
Many of the measures are expected to pass easily in the House,
which Democrats control by a comfortable 233-202 margin.
 But
with a thin 51-49 lead in the Senate, Democrats will require additional
support from Republicans -- a Senate rule requires 60 votes to
overcome filibusters, long speeches that can kill legislation.
New Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Democrats
would work "in a bipartisan basis in an open fashion to solve
the problems of the American people."
But, with Democrats running all of the committees that shape
legislation after years of being shut out of decision-making,
it is not clear the new Congress will act cooperatively.
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The new face
of Congress |
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Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California is the new speaker of the
House of Representative and has vast influence over what gets
done over the term.
She is also now second in the line of presidential succession
-- behind the vice president -- making her the most powerful woman
in U.S. political history.
"Becoming the first woman speaker will send a message to
young girls and women across the country that anything is possible
for them," Pelosi said at the opening of the new session.
 The
new Congress is also notable for its religious diversity. Of Congress's
63 freshmen, Democrat Keith Ellison of Minnesota is the first
Muslim, and Hank Johnson of Georgia and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii
are the first two Buddhists.
Ellison sparked controversy for taking the oath of office with
his hand on the Quran, instead of the Bible. During last week's
ceremony, he used a copy of the Muslim holy text found in President
Thomas Jefferson's library.
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100-hour
agenda |
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On Tuesday, the clock starts ticking on Speaker Pelosi's ambitious
"100-hour agenda," a list of measures Democrats have
vowed to pass in the House's first 100 legislative hours (its
first two weeks).
 Scheduled
votes involve increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to
$7.25 an hour, cutting interest rates on college loans, lowering
drug costs, ending subsidies for oil companies and expanding stem
cell research.
If the bills reach the president's desk, President Bush may find
new use for the veto pen he's used only once in his first six
years in the White House -- to prevent new stem cell funding.
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First bills
from the new House |
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By the end of its second day, the new House had passed ethics
and finance legislation -- with mixed response from Republicans.
Republicans applauded changes that would ban lawmakers from accepting
gifts from lobbyists and that would ask members of Congress to
disclose "earmarks," the name given to unidentified
pet projects.
 Republicans
had proposed the legislation in the previous Congress after some
members were found guilty of accepting bribes from lobbyists and
corporations in return for earmarked projects.
The financial measure had less support from House Republicans.
The "pay-as-you-go," or "pay-go," rule would
require more detailed accounting from lawmakers: Any tax cut would
have to have corresponding cuts in government spending or a tax
increase elsewhere.
But with Democrats proposing tax cuts for middle-income families,
Senate Republicans said "pay-go" would allow Democrats
to justify tax increases, which Republicans generally oppose.
"The last thing we need to do is to be raising taxes in
this country, and 'pay-go' is the first step toward raising taxes,"
said new Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the
Associated Press reported.
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Challenging
the Iraq war |
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Another issue for the two parties is the war in Iraq. Pelosi
and new Senate leader Reid sent President Bush a letter asking
him not to send more troops.
 Pelosi
told CBS's "Face the Nation," "If the president
wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it,
and this is new for him because up until now the Republican Congress
has given him a blank check with no oversight, no standards, no
conditions."
The Democratic leaders requested that U.S. troops begin withdrawing
from Iraq within six months.
Democratic opposition to the war is not new, but the letter underscores
the challenges President Bush will face from Congress in his final
two years in office.
--Compiled
by Adnaan Wasey for NewsHour Extra
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Both performances were incredibly underwhelming, and offered no real reason for Americans to change their votes. Neither candidate seemed willing to go out on a limb to garner support.
