8/11/2023 0 Comments Define lame duck congressIn the midst of the October recess, Democrats and White House officials indicated they wanted to take action in the lame duck to reshuffle the nation’s approach to Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) following a decision to curtail oil production by as much as 2 million barrels. That means issues like permitting reform and the pending water projects bill may be attached during informal conference negotiations between the House and Senate ( E&E Daily, Nov. The Senate began debating it last month, but a person familiar with the negotiations said Senate Democrats may pull the bill from the floor to focus on nominees. The path forward for the NDAA itself remains unclear. He said he will begin setting up meetings this week with key figures in the fight. House Natural Resources Chair Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), however, is prepared to lead environmental justice advocates on and off Capitol Hill in another crusade to block the permitting overhaul, even if it means threatening must-pass legislation in the process. There also remains a coalition of moderate Democrats and Republicans with an appetite to see a compromise permitting overhaul measure through. Now, Manchin is indicating he is eyeing the NDAA as another vehicle for attaching his proposal - a route the White House appeared to endorse last week in a bid to make good on its promise ( E&E News PM, Nov. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is turning to the National Defense Authorization Act - which already contains a multitude of energy and environment provisions - in hopes of reviving his stalled permitting reform package.Īs a condition of supporting the Inflation Reduction Act - the landmark climate, tax and health care law - Manchin was promised passage of his legislation to shorten environmental review processes and remove regulatory barriers surrounding energy permitting projects.īut plans to advance the permitting overhaul as part of the continuing resolution were thwarted by a coalition of progressive Democrats as well as scorned Republicans. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Capitol Hill on Jan. Republicans could succeed in forcing Congress to punt a short-term funding bill into the new year to give themselves another opportunity to assert more of their priorities. Progress on those negotiations is not yet known, and the outcome of the election may influence whether Congress wants to stick around longer to negotiate a full-year spending bill. Such a bill would also represent a swan song of sorts for the senior members of the Senate Appropriations Committee - Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who are both retiring after decades of Senate service at the end of the year. While there’s little question lawmakers will reach agreement to avoid a government shutdown right before the holiday season, how they get there is another matter.Īppropriators in both chambers and parties pushed for passage of a short-term continuing resolution at the end of September to buy them more time to negotiate a broader fiscal 2023 omnibus package. Of chief concern, congressional leaders will need to negotiate how they intend to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year before the current stopgap federal spending bill expires Dec. Spending Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). “We’re going to have some good meetings with our caucus this week and discuss where to go.”Īssuming Republicans win the House, they could be unmotivated to go along with any Democratic plans before the end of the year, recognizing greater negotiating power is waiting just around the calendar corner in 2023. “I’m not getting into anything in the specifics in the lame-duck session,” he said. In a press conference Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demurred when asked what legislative business the next few weeks would hold. Although Democrats secured their majority in the Senate over the weekend, Republicans are still favored to win control of the House. Then there are priorities that Democrats could push to the forefront in their final sprint of the current Congress, which may represent the last opportunity to govern in a unified front.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |