Must-passes

House and Senate lawmakers are planning to move “must-pass” legislation soon — which means different things to different people.

Appropriators see the pending omnibus spending package as must-pass. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) does not. He says voters clearly signaled that they do not want massive spending measures being approved so quickly. 

{mosads}Conservatives say preserving all the Bush-era tax cuts is must-pass. Many Democrats disagree (and some go all the way and regard such an extension as a must-not-pass.) Among them, some Dems on Capitol Hill believe President Obama is surrendering to the GOP.

Extending unemployment benefits has been described as must-pass by Democratic leaders. Yet some Republicans who are also Tea Party favorites claim that it is time to stop this spending, even if it is paid for by revenues or spending cuts elsewhere.

Proponents of a scaled-back immigration-reform bill known as the DREAM Act consider its passage vital. They know that its chances in the new Congress are grim, but the truth is that it lacks the votes to pass even with the current strong Democratic majorities. The White House has backed the bipartisan measure, which has also attracted bipartisan opposition.

Senior Obama administration officials claim that the Senate’s ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) will make America safer, asserting that delay would undermine national security. 

Some of these bills will move this month, and some will fall short.

The DREAM Act may clear the House, but it doesn’t have 60 votes in the Senate.

The START Treaty, unemployment benefits and the Bush-era tax deal will likely be included in a bipartisan compromise between the White House and Congress. 

The fate of the omnibus is unclear, though it is safe to assume that if it falters, Congress will fund the government with another stopgap measure. 

Other pieces of legislation on the agenda this week include a food safety bill that has run into procedural hurdles, a 9/11 compensation fund measure and a bipartisan resolution honoring an imprisoned Chinese activist.