House works on Saturday
WASHINGTON (CNN)– The House returned to work on Saturday morning intent on passing various pieces of legislation before recessing for August: an energy bill, funding for the Defense Department, a tweaked version of a bill allowing up to $250 million for the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis and approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Many hours of debate are scheduled on other issues before the House is set to vote on the FISA bill, the language of which has not yet been circulated to most members. The House last night rejected a Democratic version of the bill 218-207, with a two-thirds majority required for passage, but the Senate passed a Republican-sponsored bill on Friday night 60-28.
“The House could have led on this issue,” said Rep Pete Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.
Disturbed by the fact that the FISA bill will be the last bill the House votes on before recessing, Hoekstra lamented, “It should be the first bill we do today. It should follow [the president] wherever he is today—to Minneapolis.”
If the House approves the Senate version of the FISA bill, it will then go to the president’s desk for signing.
–CNN Congressional Producer Evan Glass
How about one-upping the clueless Iraqi legislators and working 5-day weeks with only a week or two off this month through Labor Day?
Right on Jeff.
We should have our soldiers stand down for a month and see if "these do nothing to secure their freedom losers" want to put up a fight instead of us doing it for them.
So what is the point of Congress passing any legislation when Bush/Cheney/Rove can simply make a signing statement that the new law does not apply to them?
This Do-Nothing Democratic Congress with Republican Failures should work everyday.
Oh my God!! The Congress worked a Saturday! Newsmaking, yes,, newsworthy,, hardly! I wonder if those nitwits ever thought about how many taxpayers work seven days a week on a schedule imposed by their employers. For $450 per day every day of the year, I'd expect better than a professional vacationer. Apparently, it takes plenty of time to cash in on the extravagant pay and perks! I wonder if we paid them more if they'd stay home and save the country from the damage they do while in session