Congress Will Battle Over Iraq, Economy
The House and Senate return to session today prepared to do battle simultaneously on two separate legislative fronts: the economy and Iraq.
The Senate will reconsider this week a Democrat-backed housing stimulus measure that bogged down in February. Both chambers are also working to reach agreement on a bill retooling the Federal Housing Administration, while the chairmen of the two top Congressional banking committees floated new housing reform plans over the recess. And members will begin the slow, complicated progress of vetting the Bush administration's ambitious proposal to restructure the nation's entire financial regulatory system.
Any far-reaching action on the housing front will require some degree of bipartisan cooperation in order to reach the 60-vote hurdle in the Senate and avoid a veto by President Bush. But Democrats are also eager to use the issue to paint Republicans as out-of-touch and more interested in helping big banks than struggling homeowners.
With housing worries and the economic downturn continuing to dominate the news over the just-completed recess, such actions were expected. But Iraq will also play a leading role on the Capitol Hill agenda in the two-month sprint to Memorial Day, as Congress considers the latest supplemental appropriations bill to fund the war.
As has been the case since the conflict began, House and Senate Democrats have had a tough time settling on a unified and coherent strategy for how to deal with Iraq. Members are split over whether to allow Bush's "surge" strategy to continue or push for a rapid withdrawal of troops. And even among the majority of Democrats who want a withdrawal, there is no consensus on whether to do so according to a specific timeline or on how many U.S. troops should be left behind in the country to ensure stability.
Most Republicans, meanwhile, remain committed to the surge, particularly with their presumed presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), so closely identified with the strategy. But the GOP is also aware that polling shows most of the country wants the troops brought home, and that last week's milestone of the 4,000th U.S. soldier dying in the war only increases that pressure.
The first test of both parties' message will come next week. The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, and ambassador Ryan Crocker will testify before a pair of Senate committees on Tuesday, April 8, and before the House Armed Services panel the following day. Members will likely do battle over the latest statistical measures of violence in Iraq, and over whether the current battle against Shiite militias is a wise strategy.
Later in April, both chambers are likely to begin substantive work on the latest Iraq spending bill with an eye toward completing it before Memorial Day. That measure will present Democratic leaders with a difficult choice, as antiwar lawmakers are expected to push for attaching troop withdrawal language to the funding bill. The strategy has been unsuccessful so far in forcing Bush's hand, and House leaders have suggested they may seek to move such language separately this year.
Election years typically make poor soil for the growth of big-ticket legislative items on Capitol Hill, so this two-month stretch before the next recess represents one of the last windows for Congress to get substantive work done before campaign season heats up and the party conventions roll around in late summer. With the economy and the war both at critical stages, members should have more than enough work to fill that tightening calendar.
By Ben Pershing |
March 31, 2008; 12:01 PM ET
Agenda
, Iraq
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Posted by: Rudolph Hodits | March 31, 2008 02:40 PM
i challenge you to right an article about our economy today so i can complete my school assignment
Posted by: | March 31, 2008 05:14 PM
sorry i meant write! WRITE!!!
Posted by: | March 31, 2008 05:16 PM
general petaeus lost $1 billion dollars and 100,000 ak-47 assault rifles when he was in charge of rebuiling the iraqi army in 2003-2005+. now he will tell us that the surge is working. based on last week in iraq why should we believe him about anything that happens in that hell-whole there. is he incmpetent or just say anything his bosses in washington say?
Posted by: george tomar | March 31, 2008 05:28 PM
Now is the time for Congress to get moving in the right direction - for the good of our country and not the good of this administration. Any plans for the changes in the banking, investment and other entities that have enabled this housing crisis will not help at this time - the changes will possibly help in the future. Too many people need help now - not five years down the road.
The greedy investors should not benefit from this housing meltdown. Nor should the companies that provided the subprime loans to people who would not qualify if the rates had not been ARMs. It is time to get our country back on the track of fiscal and personal responsibility - and that applies to the government, too.
Posted by: Utahreb | April 1, 2008 09:51 AM
As we discuss the economy and the housing crisis, I would like just one question answered.
Can anyone tell me and other Americans how Hillary and Bill were able, after all those years in public service, to be able to purchase two separate homes at a cost of over $1.5 million dollars each?
Both homes were purchased within a year of each other.
We all would like to know the secrets of their financial success.
Posted by: rvloser | April 1, 2008 12:36 PM
We are in trouble with the economy, the dollar and Iraq. We have a republican party oblivious to the problems and they want to stay the course. They want to print more and more money instead of joining with the majority and solving our problems.
Ostrich like leadership isn't going to produce positive results and re-electing these fools isn't going to solve anything.
We need a wholesale and complete change in government. We can do it this election, or we can do it via revolt. I would certainly hope we take the easier way out.
Posted by: Frank | April 1, 2008 02:16 PM
Rvloser said: "As we discuss the economy and the housing crisis, I would like just one question answered. Can anyone tell me and other Americans how Hillary and Bill were able, after all those years in public service, to be able to purchase two separate homes at a cost of over $1.5 million dollars each?
Both homes were purchased within a year of each other.
We all would like to know the secrets of their financial success."
What does this have to do with the housing crisis?
By 'We' I assume you mean yourself because no one else has even mentioned such a thing though-and I know it's difficult, but how about sticking with the issues at hand.
Besides, if you have an issue with the Clintons-which you clearly do-either stop hiding behind issues of real import and say it, or (even better) find an appropriate venue to post.
Posted by: Unsean | April 2, 2008 12:11 PM
Not so fast, Unsean..I'm also curious about how the Clinton's could afford to buy two houses, at a cost of over 3 million dollars, so soon after leaving public service...Bill's salary as Governor or President can't easily account for such a sum, and he's a disbarred attorney who hasn't practiced law for years, so where DID the money come from?
Posted by: Iconoblaster | April 2, 2008 02:41 PM
rvloser. Bill get 10 million from Saudia Arabia every year, so they can buy all the houses they want.
Posted by: elmerck | April 2, 2008 04:41 PM
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We must tell the Iraq goverment to get the goverment of the country in controled or the money supply will be cut off,
time to stop babby sitting that country.