Congress Likely to Adjourn Without Passing Economic Stimulus Package, CQ’s Goldreich Predicts
Congress is likely to adjourn for the year on Dec. 14 -- possibly without completing work on a much-debated economic stimulus package, Congressional Quarterly senior reporter Samuel Goldreich says in this week's "Congressional Quarterly Audio Report." House-Senate negotiations over the package fell apart late last week after House Republicans walked out of the talks (see story 1). Goldreich explains that the GOP "decided they didn't like Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's (D-S.D.) insistence that two-thirds of Democrats must support any stimulus plan." The bill now goes to the Senate Finance Committee, but Goldreich predicts that a final measure is unlikely to pass this year -- "not when you have Democrats already running campaign ads in House races accusing the Republicans of abandoning victims of Sept. 11" or President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney this weekend publicly "complaining about Daschle and the Senate obstructing efforts to help the economy recover." Goldreich predicts that next year, Congress may return to a "serious discussion" of the uninsured issue.
Bioterrorism
The Senate last week passed a defense spending bill that includes $3.1 billion for bioterrorism after Democrats dropped their push for a $15 billion homeland security measure that Bush had threatened to veto as too expensive (see story 2). The Senate-passed bill would allocate about half the bioterrorism funds to stockpiling drugs and food safety, with the rest going to hospitals and local governments for preparation. The House version of the measure differs primarily from the Senate version in the area of food inspection policies. Goldreich notes that "sponsors of both the House and Senate measures from both parties say the $3 billion is only a downpayment," with more funds potentially available in future years.
Other Legislation
Goldreich also discusses other pending measures, including the following:
- Pediatric exclusivity: House-Senate negotiators are likely to complete work this week on legislation to renew the 1997 FDA Modernization Act that would give an additional six months of market exclusivity to drugs whose effectiveness in children is tested in clinical research.
- Human cloning: Though Senate Republicans last week tried to pass a cloning ban by pairing it with a bill allowing Alaskan oil drilling and pension legislation, the resulting bill was "such a convoluted mess" that GOP senators ultimately voted against their own amendment on a procedural vote. Goldreich hence predicts that the "cloning ban is dead for the year."
