The week to come. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick.
Spent too much time tonight watching the famed Ohio State juggernaut get its hat handed to it to write much in detail tonight. Suffice it to say that those in favor of a true college football playoff now have yet another year to point to in which the BCS flopped.
Anyway, Congress is back tomorrow bright and early and the 100 Hours will start ticking.
First up on the agenda is the implementation of the rest of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has the rest of the week’s schedule in his press release here. To quote:
The 100 hours schedule will proceed as follows:
Tuesday, January 9 - Implement the 9/11 Commission Recommendations
Wednesday, January 10 - Increase the Minimum Wage
Thursday, January 11 - Expand Stem Cell Research
Friday, January 12 - Allow Negotiation for Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Wednesday, January 17 - Cut Interest Rates on Student Loans
Thursday, January 18 - End Subsidies for Big Oil and Invest in Renewable Energy
Before the week is out, though, and immediately after President Bush unveils his “Clap Louder… Let’s Try Again” plan for Iraq on Wednesday night, the House is going to start digging into the Iraq mess. A CBS poll says that that’s what the people want… so that’s what they’ll get. Kind of refreshing. Because everything over the last few months had said that they were going to spend the first several weeks focusing on popular domestic agenda items before going after Iraq issues.
Instead, on Thursday, they are going to summons Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for her to try to defend whatever load of malarkey is unveiled on Wednesday. A House Armed Services Committee hearing previously scheduled for Jan. 19 is also being moved up in the schedule to Thursday and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will be asked to give their defense of the proposed plan. On the Senate side, the Foreign Relations Committee starts hearings on Iraq on Wednesday, grills Rice on Thursday, and digs into Gates and Pace on Friday.
Stay tuned.
