Senate to take up Bush Cabinet nominations

Senate leaders still are unsure of the legislative agenda for the next few weeks, but they likely will spend most of the first full week back on the job debating President Bush's Cabinet nominations -- starting with the nomination of Carlos Gutierrez to head the Commerce Department, followed by a full day of debate over the nomination of Condoleezza Rice to be secretary of state.

Although the Gutierrez nomination is scheduled for a voice vote Monday, a deal agreed to this week between Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will require a roll call vote Wednesday on the Rice nomination.

A GOP leadership aide said it is unclear what will be brought to the floor following the Rice vote, although the chamber could take up the nomination of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt to take the reins at the Health and Human Services Department.

The House will return Tuesday with a light legislative schedule for the week. The Republican and Democratic steering committees are scheduled to meet Tuesday to clean up remaining organizational business and committee assignments for the 109th Congress.

On Wednesday, the House Republican Conference and Democratic Caucus will meet separately to approve the recommendations. Additionally, most House committees are expected to convene for internal reorganization.

On the floor, the House is expected to vote on two suspension bills Tuesday and the Congressional Gold Medal Enhancement Act Wednesday to limit to two the number of medals awarded annually. "Too many diminishes the prestige," said a spokeswoman for Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., who first introduced the bill last year.

The House is not in session Thursday or Friday as the House and Senate Republican conferences head to the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia for their annual retreat.