After taking two weeks off for an Easter break, the House and Senate return to work Monday, with agendas that clearly signal how both sides hope to use the coming months in Congress as a springboard to victory in the November elections.
The first big election issue will surface in the Senate, as Democrats are expected to try to take a first step this week on a bill raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will likely set the stage for that showdown on Monday evening, leading to a procedural vote on Wednesday on whether the Senate should even start debate on the minimum wage measure - Republicans are expected to block that bid.
"Congress needs to do something," the President said of the minimum wage increase in his weekend radio address. "And America knows it," Mr. Obama added.
Look for both sides to furiously spin this week's deadlock in the Senate and try to translate that into political attacks squarely aimed at this year's mid-term Congressional elections.
As the House returns, Democrats are certain to focus their attacks on two items that are not on the GOP schedule for this week (and maybe for the next few months) - immigration reform, and a Senate passed bill that would extend long term jobless benefits.
As for what Republicans will bring to the floor of the House, lawmakers will start work this week on the first two spending bills for next year; one funds the operations of Congress and the Legislative Branch, the other the Department of Veterans Affairs.
That VA funding bill could draw a number of amendments from lawmakers in both parties, who are outraged by a never-ending cycle of news stories about troubles at VA medical centers.
The latest story to spark outrage came out late last week, which said 40 veterans seeking care in Phoenix, Arizona, had died while waiting for treatment - and that a secret waiting list may have been used at the facility to determine who received care.
"These are extremely disturbing allegations," said Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, who again demanded more information from the feds.
"It's well past time for VA leaders at all levels to heed the alarms many in the veterans community have been sounding for a year," said Miller, which may bring about a number of amendments on the VA budget bill related to those issues.
In May, the House is also expected to work on a bill that funds Commerce, Justice and Science programs - it could also be a magnet for amendments on immigration policies, climate change and NASA.
May will also likely bring a House vote on a measure finding ex-IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress, for her refusal to answer questions about the IRS targeting scandal.
Before House members leave town just before the Preakness, work is also expected on a major defense policy bill for 2015, which could include tough votes on NSA surveillance and military spending policies.
Different agendas and different work schedules
Not only will Democrats in the Senate and Republicans in the House pursue different legislative subjects in coming weeks, but they will also be on different work schedules, which is somewhat unusual in the Congress.
The odd scheduling came about in the last few years, after Republicans took charge of the House after the 2010 elections, as they instituted a different set of break weeks, resulting in House members being out of Washington at times when the Senate is in session, and then the House working during a week when the Senate was out of town.
We will see that again this year in May and June.
The usual schedule is for the House and Senate to work from now until Memorial Day, but GOP leaders in the House have opted for a week off in the middle of May, and then a short work week after Memorial Day from May 28-30.
Then, when the Senate returns to work on June 2, the House will be out that week, returning the week of June 9.
So that leaves us with this upcoming schedule in Congress:
+ Week of April 29 - both House & Senate in session
+ Week of May 5 - both House & Senate in session
+ Week of May 12 - only the Senate in session
+ Week of May 19 - both House & Senate in session
+ Week of May 26 - only the House in session
+ Week of June 2 - only the Senate in session
+ Week of June 9 - both House & Senate in session
As for what the Senate will be doing in coming weeks, we haven't said much about that - other than this week's votes related to the minimum wage - as the Senate's longer term schedule remains unclear at this point.
One thing you can likely predict is that most of the Fridays in the next six weeks will again be free of votes in the Senate; as I wrote earlier this month, the Senate still has not conducted a roll call vote on a Friday this year.
Welcome back, Congress.
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