Looking Forward to the Next Congress
I've gotten a few questions about the "lame duck" session of Congress and what it means going forward. A lame duck session takes place during the time between an election and when the new Congress is seated in the new year. Between 1940 and 2008, there have been 15 lame duck sessions. However, Congressional leadership sometimes decides to forgo a session following an election altogether.
Today, the current 111th Congress will begin a lame duck session. It will be the last work period before the new 112th Congress is seated on January 3, 2011. There is much work to be done. The national unemployment rate remains well over nine percent; millions of Americans are still searching for full-time employment; and the federal government is still spending trillions of dollars it doesn't have.
Many of the annual spending bills have not yet been agreed upon and passed by this Congress. While there are many important programs that do require funding this year, the American people sent the big spenders in Washington a clear message on Election Day. Congressional leaders should not use this lame duck session to ram through more bloated spending measures and more deficit busting legislation.
Elections do have consequences. We can do much better than the policies of the last several years. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that the will of the American electorate is respected in the time before the new Congress is seated.
Sincerely,
