Congress: The Race to Recess

The Friday target for commencing the August recess is casting a long shadow over Capitol Hill this week, inspiring members to race to complete appropriations measures and playing an enormous role in the political jockeying over the tax cut and reconciliation spending plans.

Members on both sides of the aisle have issued warnings against rushing headlong into a budget deal simply to meet an Aug. 1 adjournment goal, and a variety of strategies have been discussed for resolving outstanding issues if a deal is not reached by week's end.

Congress could remain in session through next weekend, or longer, to nail down a deal before members head back to their states and districts. Or, as House Speaker Gingrich suggested last week, Congress could adjourn and leave behind the top negotiators to continue working with the Clinton administration as other members head home.

Hill Democrats last week said they would like to see Congress adjourn, which would give President Clinton four weeks to develop public support for Democratic positions in the budget tussle.

But, as of late last week, GOP leaders in both chambers were predicting that Congress would adjourn Friday. House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, warned his colleagues that Friday could be a long day as the House scrambles to wrap up its business.

The House will meet at noon Monday to consider 11 bills under suspension and the fiscal 1998 legislative branch appropriations bill; no votes are scheduled before 5 p.m. For the balance of the week, the House floor agenda includes the fiscal 1998 National Security, Labor-HHS, Foreign Operations and Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bills, along with the conference reports on the spending and tax reconciliation bills, presuming they become available.

The Senate also reconvenes at noon today, with the FDA reform bill and the fiscal 1998 Transportation appropriations bill on the agenda.

By the end of last week, the Senate had completed work on eight FY98 appropriations measures, with the Interior, Labor-HHS and Commerce-Justice-State bills as well as the Transportation bills having been approved by the Appropriations Committee and awaiting floor action. The House has passed six FY98 spending bills.

The full House Appropriations Committee will mark up the FY98 Treasury-Postal spending bill Monday. The FY98 District of Columbia spending bill is expected to be marked up in September in both the House and Senate Appropriations committees.

Meanwhile, a compromise was struck last week on legislation to change the definition of "dolphin-safe" tuna, allowing the bill to come to the Senate floor, probably Tuesday.

The compromise, which calls for a three-year study of tuna- fishing with purse seine nets, has been endorsed by the White House and appears acceptable to the House, which passed "dolphin safe" legislation in May.