Congresspedia Review: This Week in Congress (Feb. 22 - 29, 2008)

Share this

While several measures advanced by the Senate were stripped from the economic stimulus bill signed earlier this month by President Bush, Democrats this week were still pushing for their inclusion in a second stimulus package. Also, negotiations continued on the long-debated farm bill extension, the Senate briefly discussed a withdrawal timetable for Iraq, and the House fought over a proposal for an independent ethics panel. In addition, the House approved new energy-efficiency tax breaks and Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed for a grand jury investigation of two White House aides.

Back to the stimulus plan: earlier this month, Senate Democrats tried to include extended unemployment benefits and low-income heating oil assistance. Republicans balked at the idea, and the stimulus package approved by the Senate resembled one proposed by the House. However, Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, (D-N.D), this week announced the measures would be included in his congressional budget plan. The Democrats are also throwing in food stamp assistance.

The total package would come in at around $35 billion.

The debate on the farm bill continued this week. The latest fight is over payment limits to individual farmers (the White House wants them tightened) and offsets for other proposed increases. Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel are not releasing their proposed offsets, though they had earlier promised to do so. The House and Senate separately approved extensions to the farm bill last year but have failed to reach a compromise.

Just one Senate Republican voted for cloture Thursday on a bill Democrats said would help homeowners feeling the pinch of the mortgage and credit crisis. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) stood by Democrats in trying to end debate on the legislation, which would have allowed bankruptcy judges to change mortgages for homeowners at risk of foreclosure.

On Wednesday, the House approved a tax package that would phase out $18 billion in subsidies for the oil and gas industry over the next 10 years. The revenue would be used to provide tax breaks for wind and solar energy initiatives and energy-efficiency measures. The Senate voted down a similar proposal earlier this year, but may include it in the budget proposal to prevent a Republican fillibuster.

Two bills were introduced this week with an aim to change the course of America's strategy in Iraq. The first would require withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq within 120 days, while the second would force the Bush administration to create a new strategy new strategy for fighting al-Qaeda. The bills are largely symbolic, however, with Democrats and Republicans each looking to capitalize on perceived weaknesses on the issue of national security.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on the Department of Justice to launch a grand jury investigation into contempt of Congress citations issued against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolton. Bush Administration officials have said they will not allow an investigation to proceed.

Finally, questions over new ethics provisions forced Pelosi to cancel a vote on the creation of an independent ethics panel. House Republicans were joined by member of the majority in opposing the new rules, which would have allowed partisan recommendations to proceed. Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.), who chaired a bipartisan ethics task force, said he remained hopeful for the creation of a new ethics office.