As we approach the lame duck session of the 111^{th<\/sup> Congress, we can learn a lot from how previous Congresses dealt with this challenging task.\u00a0 In an earlier post we discussed lame duck history sessions from 1940 \u2013 1970. It\u2019s important to look at more recent ones, particularly with the challenges that face the current Congress.\u00a0 The biggest issue facing the 111th<\/sup> is the so-called \u201cfiscal cliff\u201d or \u201cdriveway slope\u201d that challenges members of the present Congress to address a previous deal,\u00a0 in which they delayed addressing the national debt.\u00a0 If nothing new is done, the Bush tax cuts will be rescinded for all, including those for the middle class, and there will be another two trillion dollar cut from expenditures, including half from the military budget.<\/p>\n}

Here’s what happened in some recent lame-duck sessions:<\/p>\n

Post-impeachment, 1974<\/strong><\/p>\n

Going back thirty-eight years, the 1974 lame duck was unique because, over the previous two years, both the House and the Senate had been consumed with impeachment charges against President Richard M. Nixon.\u00a0 The most important measure was to confirm new President Gerald R. Ford\u2019s nomination of Nelson Rockefeller to replace him as Vice-President.\u00a0 That went smoothly but only a few of the ten other proposals that Ford submitted were passed.<\/p>\n

Filibuster, gridlock<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was eight years, 1982, until the next lame duck session.\u00a0 President Ronald Reagan expressed concern that only three of 13 appropriation bills had been cleared for his signature.\u00a0 Congress promised to pass nine of the ten, but in reality only four passed for FY 1983.\u00a0 With serious concern about a recession, five bills were delayed to be dealt with the second year of the Congress in 1984.\u00a0 The lame duck session was particularly acrimonious, because the Senate held many filibusters.\u00a0 We now call this tactic gridlock.<\/p>\n

Impeachment, again<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 104^{th<\/sup>Congress,\u00a0 impeachment once again consumed Congress.\u00a0 This time the target was President Bill Clinton. While there were no charges for his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky, it was Clinton’s unwillingness to tell the truth and his proclivity to obstruct justice that caused Congress to have another lame duck session. Two charges against President Clinton passed by margins of 228-206 and 228-190.\u00a0 This lead to a Senate trial on the impeachment charges in the second session of the 104th<\/sup> Congress. Clinton was acquitted.<\/p>\n}

Expanding the power of the executive branch<\/strong><\/p>\n

The issue of unfunded appropriations once again came to the fore in the 107^{th<\/sup> Congress, 2nd Session in 2002.\u00a0 President George W. Bush had an agenda that included establishing the Department of Homeland Security. This plan was quite controversial, because it involved a major consolidation of separate bureaus, including the F.B.I., C.I.A, National Security Council, and FEMA.\u00a0 Finally, both the House and the Senate agreed to the proposal on November 22.\u00a0 The result was that Bush expanded the power of the executive branch,\u00a0 in the wake of the terrorist attack on the United States on 9-11-2001.<\/p>\n}

Be careful what you wish for<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two years later the 108^{th<\/sup> Congress, 2nd<\/sup> Session, had a lame duck session because the uncertainty of the 2004 election resulted in many appropriation bills left unfunded.\u00a0 Once Bush had won reelection, Congress agreed to most of his proposals.\u00a0 Congress also followed up its approval of the Department of Homeland Security with the establishment of a September 11 Commission that had the power to thoroughly investigate the causes of and the follow up to the 9-11 attack.\u00a0 This became a commission that was quite critical of the Bush administration, but the administration was able to block most of the recommendations.<\/p>\n}

2010, not very lame at all<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most recent and memorable lame duck session was two years ago, in 2010.\u00a0 The battle royale between President Obama and the Congress, in which Republicans had the power to filibuster in the Senate, resulted in a strange set of fiscal and monetary policies.<\/p>\n

President Obama wanted the Bush taxes for the wealthy (net income over $250,000) to expire, but Republicans argued that these cuts were essential to stimulating the economy.\u00a0 Previous tax cuts for the wealthy amounted to mere 10%, from 39.6% to 36%.\u00a0 If the cuts for the wealthy were to be rescinded, the result would have been billions of dollars for the federal government. To address the middle class, the payroll tax was reduced by 2%.\u00a0 This move provided more disposable money all workers who were paying the payroll tax, but it also reduced revenue for the underfunded Social Security and Medicare programs.\u00a0 Some felt that President Obama conceded on this issue too easily, without a strong push from Republicans to do so.Congress passed a repeal of the \u201cDon\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell\u201d measure that banned openly gay and lesbian soldiers in the military.\u00a0 Now there would be no discrimination against gays and lesbians in the armed forces.<\/p>\n

Congress also passed a bill to provide medical treatment and compensation to first responders of the September 11 attack.\u00a0 However there was a major omission in the bill because it did not cover most forms of cancer, one of the primary maladies suffered by the first responders.<\/p>\n

Congress also passed an extension of the START (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) with Russia.\u00a0 Several Republican Senators joined with all Democrats to make this possible.<\/p>\n

Perpetual can-kicking<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second session of the 110^{th<\/sup> Congress will go down in history as refusing to finish appropriation bills submitted by President Obama and an unwillingness to reform the tax code, particularly with regard to the taxes levied on the wealthy.<\/p>\n}

Most of these issues have been delayed for two years until the upcoming lame duck session.\u00a0 House Speaker John Boehner has already indicated that he won\u2019t compromise on restoring the income tax on the wealthy to their Clinton levels. It\u2019s possible that, once again,even as the\u00a0 so-called \u201cfiscal cliff\u201d approaches, Congress will delay again.\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s a lame duck or a regular session of Congress, this is a deplorable way for our primary legislative body to operate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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