Congress will be in session for a little more than 10 days until January when the Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi will be running the House…
Things will no longer resemble the last 2 years there….
Some Republicans want to try to jam legislation across the finish for the lame duck session…
But?
There is only so much that can be done and a LOT of moving parts are in play…
Conservatives have typically bemoaned the legislative frenzy of lame-duck sessions, with Cruz saying in 2014 that “Americans cannot trust politicians they can no longer hold accountable at the ballot box.”
But with a Democratic House takeover imminent, Cruz argues that Republicans should simply focus on getting as much done as possible. He’s not alone: Republicans are variously arguing that from the border wall to criminal justice reform to trade, the outcomes are about to get a whole lot worse for their party in January if they don’t act now.
“We have five more weeks with unified control of both houses of Congress, and I think we should be working tirelessly to deliver real results,” Cruz said in an interview.
Asked about the reversal by conservatives on the use of the lame duck, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) responded that he’s “stopped trying to hold Republicans to their own words.”
“They’re going to try and jam as much stuff through as possible,” Murphy said. “Would we make a different choice if we were in the same position?”
Yet what Cruz wants to do would take weeks and require total cooperation with the House on passing new budget bills and hopping through procedural hoops, not to mention unity on controversial issues within the narrowly divided Senate GOP.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is operating with a more realistic view of the world: He’s essentially promised to fund the government, pass the farm bill and confirm nominees — and whatever else gets done, so be it….
Note….
Lotta GOPer lawmakers (And Trump) ain’t gonna be happy….
But their solo thing IS about OVER….
image….Politico
750 days, or 107 weeks & 1 day since Election Day, 2016
677 days, or 96 weeks & 5 day(s) since Inauguration Day, 2017
22 days, or 3 weeks & 1 day since Election Day, 2018
TODAY
36 days, or 5 weeks & 1 day until the 116th Congress sits
706 days, or 100 weeks & 6 day(s) until Election Day, 2020
784 days, or 112 weeks & 0 day(s) until Inauguration Day, 2021
Whose counting?
He, he, he
The 2020 Campign has already begun!
I suppose that I already need to add the dates of the 2020 N.H. pres. primary & Iowa caucuses (if they’ve even yet been set) to my spreadsheet.
Sigh.
Actually I could make a sidebar and update it everyday?
The Green Papers assume that (at least for now), the Iowa Dem. caucuses will be on Monday 3 February 2020, and the New Hampshire presidential primary on Tuesday 11 February 2020.
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P20/IA-D
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P20/NH-D
750 days, or 107 weeks & 1 day(s) since Election Day, 2016
677 days, or 96 weeks & 5 day(s) since Inauguration Day, 2017
22 days, or 3 weeks & 1 day(s) since Election Day, 2018
TODAY
36 days, or 5 weeks & 1 day(s) until the 116th Congress sits
432 days, or 61 weeks & 5 day(s) (presumably) until the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses
440 days, or 62 weeks & 6 day(s) (presumably) until the 2020 N.H. presidential primary
706 days, or 100 weeks & 6 day(s) until Election Day, 2020
784 days, or 112 weeks & 0 day(s) until Inauguration Day, 2021
(I’ll send you a copy of my revised spreadsheet, James.)