Harry Reid
The Senate reconvened briefly today to pass by unanimous consent a $600 million bill to increase security along the U.S.-Mexico border, but faces a much more crowded agenda when it returns from the August recess.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), whose agenda this year has frequently been blocked by Republican filibusters, will be challenged to push much through especially with the November elections looming over the proceedings. The Senate will be back in session Sept. 13, with the first roll-call votes scheduled on the following day on a small business jobs bill. Reid has signaled the September agenda will also include votes on extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts enacted under President Bush and a clean energy bill spearheaded by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Spending bills also need to be passed by Oct. 1, but it’s increasingly likely that the Senate will pass a continuing resolution as a stopgap to keep the government funded until next year.
The Senate is then set to adjourn Oct. 8 until after the mid-term elections. Reid is busy laying out the schedule for a lame-duck session that would begin Nov. 15.
