WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2014 – Congress reconvenes in a
lame-duck session this week after a month-long break to campaign for the
mid-term elections. With Democrats licking their wounds and Republicans
reviewing their strategy after taking over the Senate and improving their hold
on the House, the big question seems to be: Will anything get done before
Congress heads home for the Christmas holidays in mid-December?
According to several political pundits who spoke on
the Sunday talk shows, there’s little expectation that much will be
accomplished, agriculturally related or otherwise, in the short session before
the term of the 113th Congress expires on Jan. 3, especially with
the troubling issue of immigration reform hanging over Washington. In an
interview that aired Sunday on CBS’ “Face
the Nation” program, President Obama restated his vow to use
his executive power to make changes in immigration policy by year’s end,
despite warnings from top Republican that this would worsen the already inimical
relationship with the White House and with Congressional Democrats.
Earlier, Republican leaders had used up most of the
really good disaster metaphors to describe what would ensue. The head of the
Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, said unilateral action by Obama would
be like “throwing a barrel of kerosene on a fire.” House Speaker John Boehner,
R-Ohio, said it would “poison the well” on immigration, and Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Obama acting on his own would be like
“waving a red flag in front of a bull.”
There will also be lots of oxygen expended on
Capitol Hill over when the Senate will take up Obama’s nomination of Loretta
Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for Brooklyn, to succeed Eric Holder as Attorney
General. Democrats want the “advise and consent” process to take place while
they still control the Senate, while Republicans say the confirmation hearings
should be held in the next Congress. Lynch would be the first African-American
woman to head the Justice Department.
Still, there are expectations that Congress will
take action on legislation that will keep the government functioning beyond
Dec. 11, when the current short-term spending measure expires. And lawmakers
may also reach some sort of agreement on reviving tax breaks that expired at
the end of 2013, including one that allowed small businesses to immediately
expense up to $500,000 when purchasing machinery or other assets, instead of
expensing them over time. Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau
Federation, said the tax
extenders are “one of the few things likely to get done in
the lame duck.”
Meanwhile, President Obama is out of town this week, traveling in Asia where
he’s attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers meeting in
Beijing. Trade is one of the few areas where the White House and Senate
Republicans share broad areas of agreement. Unlike Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who opposed the president's push for so-called "fast track" legislation, many Republicans are eager to
advance Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), setting the stage for up or down approval of new trade deals.
In fact, during his first press conference after winning re-election last
week, Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is expected to be elected as the next Senate
Majority Leader, said President Obama mentioned trade when they talked last
week.
"I think he's interested in moving forward. I said send us trade
agreements. We're anxious to take a look at them," McConnell said.
There had been some hope that the APEC meeting could result in some movement
on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, involving the U.S. and 11 other nations.
Those hopes were dimmed Sunday when U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman
said there would be “no major announcement” on the free-trade deal involving
the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations. Negotiations on the pact have been
held up by disagreement between Washington and Tokyo’s reluctance to open its
markets to farm exports.
However, agricultural interests are cautiously watching the APEC talks to
see if U.S. negotiators can make additional progress on TPP and perhaps make
progress with the Chinese on other contentious issues, such as biotechnology
approvals.
Here’s a short listing of what’s going on in Washington and elsewhere this
week:
Monday, Nov. 10,
the 239th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Tuesday,
Nov. 11, Veterans Day
1
p.m. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., will hold a press availability at the Mount
Rushmore visitor center (11 a.m. Mountain Time) in South Dakota following a
roundtable discussion on transportation issues with U.S. Transportation
Secretary Anthony Foxx, S.D. Gov. Dennis Daugaard and other stakeholders. The
roundtable discussion is closed to the press.
Wednesday, Nov. 12
2 p.m. The House and Senate will reconvene in lame
duck sessions at 2 p.m. following a month-long break to campaign for the
mid-term elections. Congress is taking off Thanksgiving week and will recess in
mid-December for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The term of the 113th
Congress expires Jan. 3.
The National Association of Farm Broadcasters opens
its 71st convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Agri-Pulse Editor Sara
Wyant and Associate Editor Spencer Chase will both be covering the event.
Thursday,
Nov. 13
10 a.m. The House meets for legislative business.
10:00 a.m. The
House Committee on Foreign Affairs holds a hearing: Combating Ebola in West Africa:
The International Response. The Honorable Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S.
Agency for International Development is one of four witnesses scheduled to
testify in 2167 Rayburn HOB.
Friday,
Nov. 14
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will deliver remarks at the National
Association of Farm Broadcasters Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Also
today, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden will address the Farmer Veteran
Coalition in Des Moines, Iowa.
The House meets at 9 a.m. for
legislative business.
12 p.m.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a subcommittee hearing: The
Future of Energy in Africa in 2172 Rayburn.
Deputy Assistant USTR for Small Business Christina Sevilla will
speak on a panel at the Atlantic Council on “The Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership: Big Opportunities for Small Business” in Washington DC
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