This Week in Congress: Republicans Retreat

I know it seems like that’s something that happens every week, but this week the Republican House and Senate will be taking a real retreat so Congress will only be in session Monday and Tuesday.

Yesterday the Senate failed to pass the Pain Capable Abortion Act, which would make it a federal crime to perform an abortion when a fetus can feel pain. The Senate will also consider nominations.

The House will consider the Defense Appropriation legislation. This legation spends $584 billion in official funding plus an additional $75.2 billon in “Overseas Contingency Funding” bringing the total to $659.2 billion.

The bill is coming to the floor under a closed rule where only one amendment will be considered. This amendment deals with funding levels for the Readiness Reserve Training Program. So the House is missing an opportunity to debate serious questions of whether we need to spend billions on militaristic foreign policy.

The House will also consider bills under suspension including:

1. S 534– creates a new federal law mandating prompt reporting of sexual abuse to law enforcement. Of course no one can oppose reporting abuse to the proper authorities but this bill does exceed Congress’s constitutional limitations.

2. H.R. 1457– allows banks to scan drivers licenses for use when people try to open an account online or obtain some other financial product. Seems like common sense but why should the banks have to ask permission from the government to do it?

3. H.R. 4292– revises the “living will” section of Dodd-Frank which provides that financial institutions draw up plans to dissolve the company if they go under although this is unlikely to happen since even if Congress does not bail them out the Fed will find a way to save any troubled bank.