U.S. Congressional clock ticks away; uncertainty over lame duck session

The Hindu
Jul 15, 2008

WASHINGTON: The decision of the Manmohan Singh government to give a final push to the civil nuclear deal comes at a time when the calendar for the 110th U.S. Congress is almost over. There is a very small window for the lawmakers here to take a final look at the deal, once President George Bush submits his report to Capitol Hill. In three weeks from now, August 1 to be precise, the House of Representatives will go into a six-week recess ahead of the national conventions of the two main political parties, Democrats and Republicans. Thereafter, Congress is scheduled to re-assemble for a three-week period, September 8-26, the latter being the target date for adjournment. This means the lawmakers are scheduled to make an appearance on the Hill only in January 2009. That leaves the Bush Administration with an outside chance of getting the Democrats-controlled Congress to convene a lame duck session after the November elections. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada told journalists recently that he did not expect Congress to come back for such a session. Mr. Reid’s comments came in the light of questions whether Congress would be back after Election Day to pass leftover pending bills addressing issues of domestic concern. The House leadership led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly not in favour of a lame duck session, either.