The "Holiday Season" between Thanksgiving and Christmas is usually portrayed as a joyous time where we all put aside our differences and enjoy the company of family and friends. But when it comes to Congress, the holiday spirit often seems at odds with the realities of the political world.
In other words - get ready for a feisty next four weeks.
Working at this time of year is nothing new for the Congress. In the 19th century, lawmakers often started a late year session in early December and worked into the New Year.
And as lawmakers trickle back to town this week after a Thanksgiving break, they will glance at the calendar and probably wonder in the back of their minds if they will be at work until almost Christmas 2011.
In case you are just tuning in to the work of the House and Senate, about the only way you get work done in the Congress is with deadlines, which in years past often bring about a somewheat messy, last minute political deal to send lawmakers home for the holidays.
What needs to be completed by the end of the year? The answer is, “All kinds of stuff.”
- Extending a payroll tax cut
- Extending long term jobless benefits
- Another short term extension of the Medicare "Doc Fix"
- Another short term patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax
- Yet another extension for a series of expiring business and personal tax breaks
- And last but not least, Congress must finish work on the budget. And there will most certainly be something else that will get jammed into a year-end Legislative Christmas Tree. Last year, we were in a similar situation in many ways. Long term jobless benefits were soon expiring. The "Bush tax cuts" were about to expire. The "Doc Fix" needed attention, as did the AMT and the package of tax breaks known as the "tax extenders," because they are extended almost every year. Are you seeing a pattern here? Yes, it is basically the legislative equivalent of the movie "Groundhog Day" as we look at the post-Thanksgiving calendar. There's a lot of work to do, little time to get it done and a great desire for lawmakers, staff and reporters to go home. That should mean we'll be working until just before Christmas. Why do now what you can wait to do at the last minute? That's certainly the mantra of the Congress, no matter which party is in charge.
