WASHINGTON–The next few weeks could mark the last time any substantial legislation is passed by Congress until after the November elections, according to credit union Hill advocates.
Both the House and Senate are in session this week with reports there has been some bipartisan compromise on spending bills and legislation to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine, with some potential for a deal (or language) related to the border.
After that, said Jason Stverak of America’s Credit Unions, it’s likely there will be “fewer and fewer” bills as the election gets closer.
But Greg Mesack of America’s Credit Unions noted there are several bills that must pass in the nearer term, including spending bills and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which he pointed out members of Congress are proud to say has been passed successfully for 60 straight years.
“The (NDAA) is probably going to carry a whole lot besides defense authorization,” observed Mesack. “It’s always been a Christmas tree, but it could be an extra Christmas tree this year.”
The Threat in the Lame Duck
In addition, Mesack said no one should “underestimate” the lame duck congressional session that will follow the November elections. He said that could play out several ways. If the GOP takes the House and Senate, Democrats will want to cut some deals in order to get input on certain packages. If the status quo is retained and President Biden is re-elected, Republicans will want to cut deals of their own.
Stverak agreed.
“The ambiguity of the lame duck could also be potentially scary opportunity,” said Stverak. “I use this term loosely, but there are going to be a lot of free agents, members who didn’t run for reelection, members who have been asked to come home permanently. This is their opportunity to say, ‘I have 60 days left and I will cast whatever vote I want.’ There could be a lot of chaos. We don’t know what kind of deals they will want to cut.”
A Tradition
Stverak further noted there is a tradition in Congress with retiring members to attempt to include in legislation some of their priorities before they leave.
“It shows the importance of what we can do now on behalf of America’s credit unions to let (Congress) know where we stand heading into that time period, so choices are not made that are detrimental to our members,” he said.
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