Roll Call ($) reports today that with the bitter and draining fight over Iraq funding now behind them, Congressional Democrats intend to focus on domestic issues for no more than a few weeks before returning to Iraq once again:
Democrats, meanwhile, will spend the bulk of the week on gas prices and broader energy issues as a lead-in to their domestic agenda work. According to Democratic aides, Reid has placed a top priority on talking about domestic issues over the next several weeks to take advantage of the lull in the Iraq debate.
One leadership aide said Reid hopes to use the recess to lay the groundwork for several weeks of floor work on the domestic front, starting the resumption of the immigration fight next week, followed by a full week on energy legislation. “I’d like to have a solid week to work on energy to demonstrate to voters that we get it” and are working on issues beyond the war, the aide said.
However, the spate of domestic agenda work may not last very long. Reid already has penciled in debate on the Defense authorization bill for the last week of June, and his war room is expected to use the week before to resume the rhetorical fight with the White House and Senate Republicans on the need to end the Iraq War. Although Reid has yet to settle on a strategy for the authorization fight, he is expected to continue Democrats’ push to pass legislation restricting President Bush’s ability to prosecute the Iraq War and begin the process of reducing the U.S. military presence there.
With health care, the economy, immigration, energy, and other issues all rated as very important to voters, it’s important for Democrats to be seen as offering answers on something other than the war in Iraq. The minimum wage increase that is about to be enacted has attracted virtually no attention; which is appropriate, given how trivial an issue it is. Because their proposals to address energy and gas prices include nothing to encourage supply, but instead revolve around tax increases and gimmicks, Congress is unlikely to produce anything substantive on energy–or other priorities–anytime soon. Reid and Pelosi would do well to produce some actual legislation before returning to Iraq.
