Gebe Martinez
April 20, 2005

Gebe Martinez has been a reporter in Washington, D.C. since 1994, arriving immediately after the historic 1994 national elections in which Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after a 40-year Democratic rule. (Read Gebe Martinez's bio)

Q:What is the current state of the House ethics committee? Is there any indication they might agree to meet soon?

The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct has been unable to begin work in this session of Congress because Republicans and Democrats on the evenly divided panel are deadlocked over new rules that Republicans pushed through the House at the beginning of the year. The committee met privately April 13, but failed to find a compromise. On a 5-5 vote, it rejected a proposal by Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va., the ranking Democrat, to create a bipartisan panel to review the ethics rules. House Republicans have been discussing since then how to break the impasse as Democrats have publicly turned up the heat on the GOP's decision to change the rules which now make it harder to investigate a member.

Among the Democrats' chief complaints is a new rule that would allow an investigation to disappear after 45 days unless a majority of the committee votes to investigate further. The former rule required a majority to dismiss a complaint. Republicans have offered to extend the 45-day deadline but it was rejected by Democrats. Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wa., followed up with a written proposal, but that is not expected to break the impasse. Also, three Republicans have signed on to a Democratic resolution that would restore the rules that were in place during the last session.

Q: Are relations strained between Majority Leader Tom DeLay and the White House or does he appear to have the administration's full support?

Publicly, President Bush and White House officials such as political advisor Karl Rove are standing by DeLay. They note his effectiveness as a leader, as evidenced by DeLay's ability to drive some of the more difficult items on the president's agenda through Congress. In an interview this week on Fox News Radio's "The Tony Snow Show," DeLay recounted recent meetings with the president, describing him as "very supportive. He is very worried about what's going on." But as White House spokesman Scott McClellan noted recently, "there are different levels of friendship," and DeLay's relationship with the White House is more along the lines of professional respect for shared political goals, and less out of personal friendship.

Privately, the White House, like some congressional Republicans, are watching to see how DeLay handles the ongoing questioning of his ethical behavior, and the outcome of a grand jury investigation in Texas that is looking into a political action committee DeLay created.

Q: President Bush has made Social Security his first major domestic priority of his second term. Generally speaking, has Congress lined up in full force behind the president on this issue? Or do the House and Senate have some domestic goals of their own?

President Bush is nearing the end of his 60-day campaign to promote his plan to add individual investment accounts to Social Security for those under 55 years of age. Proponents say the administration has succeeded in calling attention to the looming fiscal insolvency facing the retirement fund. Opponents point to public polls showing that the president's plan has not taken hold with the public. The recent slide in the stock market also may increase public wariness about diverting some of the Social Security funds for personal accounts.

Congressional Republicans who are wary of the president's plan have suggested he focus first on making the fund solvent as a way to draw bipartisan support for a Social Security fix. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on Social Security later this month, with hopes of getting a committee vote in July. But there are still many Republicans who doubt a plan can be sent through Congress this year. Once the timing is decided, Republican congressional leaders will want to discuss tax reform.

While GOP lawmakers disagree on how to approach immigration, there is agreement that the debate needs to be engaged in this Congress. How much can be accomplished in the Senate will depend on the outcome of a looming partisan battle over the rights of the minority party-the Democrats-to filibuster the president's judicial nominations. If Senate Republicans push through a rules change that would reduce the number of votes required to end debate on a nomination from 60 to a simple majority, Democrats are expected to effectively shut down the Senate.

Q: Midterm elections will be held in 2006. Are there some key races to watch?

At this early stage, Republican and Democratic Party organizations already have identified some of their top tier "targets" for the 2006 election, although that list is fluid as the political environment in each race changes. In the Senate, there are 33 seats up this election cycle with Republicans having to defend 15 and Democrats defending 18. All 435 House seats are up every two years. Democratic Sens. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Maria Cantwell in Washington, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Bill Nelson of Florida and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan are considered top GOP targets. The announced retirements of Democratic Sens. Mark Dayton, of Minnesota and Paul Sarbanes, of Maryland also will make those seats hotly contested ones.

Democrats, meanwhile, are targeting Republican Sens. George Allen in Virginia, Mike DeWine in Ohio, Lincoln Chaffee in Rhode Island, Jim Talent in Missouri and Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania. Republicans and Democrats also are eyeing the seat held by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., who is exploring a presidential bid.