Appropriations will top House agenda after recess

When the House returns after Labor Day, lawmakers will face a legislative calendar as crowded as the week they left.

Action on renewing presidential trade negotiating authority, fiscal 2002 spending bills, and prescription drug legislation are among some of the issues GOP leaders are expected to schedule for consideration this fall.

A spokesman for House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, said spending bills would likely dominate the House schedule in September, adding the House could also take up the trade legislation.

Before recessing, the House completed work on nine of 13 annual FY02 appropriations bills, leaving the House to finish the Defense, Military Construction, District of Columbia and Labor- HHS spending bills in addition to conference reports for all spending bills.

The House is expected to complete the four remaining spending bills by mid-October. Appropriators are waiting for the Bush administration's revised defense request, as well as conferees on the education reform bill to authorize funding levels.