State of the Union 2022.Photo: Shawn Thew - Pool/Getty
Earlier this week, the Republican Partyregained the majority of seatsin the U.S. House of Representatives, just days after Democrats maintained control of the Senate.
But while Congress now awaits a shift in the power balance — a period of time often referred to as a “lame-duck” session, when efficiency is at a low just before the term ends — Democrats are working overtime to make strides in a number of areas while they can, tackling issues like marijuana legalization and gay marriage.
“We are gonna try to have as productive a lame duck session as possible,” Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumersaid at a recent press conference. “It’s gonna be heavy work, long hours to try and get much done.”
These remaining weeks of the term also House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’sfinal chance to bolster her legacy, after she announcedshe will not seek a leadership positionin the House next term.
Here’s what Congress has already made progress on during its decidedly un-lame lame-duck session.
The Respect for Marriage Act
Wives celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage outside SCOTUS in 2015.AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Democrats in the Senate have made protecting gay marriage a key priority in the wake ofthe Supreme Court’s decision to overturnRoe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized a woman’s right to an abortion.
As abortion became a key part of the national conversation, a bill once considered dead on arrival is now moving forward. It’s theRespect for Marriage Act, a piece of legislation that would provide federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.
The measure passed in the House over the summer, then got stalled in Senate while Schumer worked to rally bipartisan support. It advanced in the Senate on Wednesday in a 62-37 vote, with12 Republicans voting in favor, allowing it to clear the required 60-vote hurdle to prevent a filibuster.
The bill will now move to debate and be on track for final Senate passage very soon, Schumer says. Due to some tweaks in the language since the bill was passed in the House, it will likely have to go back through the House for a revote before reaching the president’s desk.
Marijuana Research Bill
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“This bill will help refine current medical CBD practices and develop important new applications,” Feinstein said. “After years of negotiation, I’m delighted that we’re finally enacting this bill that will result in critical research that could help millions.”
#MeToo NDA Bill
Another bill headed to Biden’s desk concerns sexual assault cases, restricting the use of non-disclosure agreements to prevent alleged victims of sexual harassment or assault from speaking out.
The success of the measure — known as the Speak Out Act — is nearly a sure thing, considering the White House already said in a statement it “strongly supports” its passage.
“This bipartisan legislation would prohibit the enforcement of [NDAs] and non-disparagement clauses between employers and employees and independent contractors, and between goods and services providers and consumers, that were in place before a sexual assault or harassment dispute,“the White House explainedin a statement of administration policy. “[The bill] would enable survivors to speak out about workplace sexual assault and harassment.”
More to Watch
Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer.ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Among Congress' other big priorities is the debt ceiling, which is currently just below $31.4 trillion — enough to cover federal borrowing needs until early 2023.
Schumer told reporters this week that he’d like to “get a debt ceiling done in this work period,“The Hill reports. But Republicans have been more stubborn, raising fears that they could use debt ceiling talks as a negotiating tool to gut social spending programs like Social Security.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, if Congress doesn’t take action on the debt ceiling soon, it would risk a historic default.
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“This debt limit time frame is further out than many policymakers expected as recently as several months ago, primarily reflecting the extraordinary growth in tax revenues so far this year. But that is no reason to be complacent,” Shai Akabas, the center’s director of economic policy, said in a statementissued in June. “We very well may have divided government come January 2023, making it imperative that congressional leaders work across the aisle to safeguard the full faith and credit of the United States before we hit the next crisis point.”
While the White House had also expressed hopes that Congress would raise the nation’s debt limit prior to January, those hopes are now fading fast, increasing the risk, reportsPolitico, of a “highly partisan, market-rattling fiscal confrontation next year.”
source: people.com
