|
AS the US Senate finished its work recently, Bill Frist, the Republican majority leader, wasted no time before boasting about all that Congress had accomplished during the past year.
The list includes many initiatives Republicans had championed for years, such as bankruptcy reform, class action lawsuit reform and energy and highway bills, as well as approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (Cafta).
The tie-breaking vote by Vice-President Dick Cheney on December 19 allowed Republican leaders to add a five-year, $39.7bn package of spending cuts to the list, a vital piece of the push to remind the public of their commitment to fiscal discipline.
But the close vote on spending cuts, and showdowns over the anti-terror Patriot Act and oil drilling in Alaska, offered clear evidence that President George W. Bush and congressional leaders are not in complete command.
"It was not quite the finale that the president and the Republican leadership had in mind," said Thomas Mann, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank.
The political disappointments will intensify Republican concerns about the 2006 mid-term elections, and add to pressure to show voters more concrete accomplishments if they are to maintain their majorities next November.
To pass a defence spending bill, Republicans on December 21 had to remove a provision that would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. Mr Bush backed the provision, which Republicans say would increase the domestic supply of oil. Democrats say it would threaten precious wilderness.
Bowing to pressure from Democrats and a handful of Republicans, Mr Frist and other leaders agreed to a six-month extension of the Patriot Act, giving lawmakers time to address their concerns about civil liberties protections before granting a longer renewal of the law. The White House and Mr Frist had balked at a three-month extension, but Mr Bush accepted the six-month provision.
There was even a stutter over the spending cuts bill, which Democrats forced back to the House of Representatives, to sign off on the elimination of some non-budget provisions, before it could be sent to Mr Bush for his signature.
Republican leaders surely had something else in mind when they began the year vowing to use their enhanced majorities in both chambers to act on many fronts, including Alaska drilling and Social Security reform, which had been Mr Bush's top domestic priority. But several factors have combined to limit their progress. Weak public support for Mr Bush -- attributed to his handling of the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina -- united and emboldened Democrats.
Concerns about Mr Bush's conduct of the war on terror prompted lawmakers to increase their scrutiny of the administration and the policies adopted after the September 11 terror attacks.
Recent disclosures that the president authorised secret domestic surveillance of US citizens strengthened the hand of those who opposed renewal of the Patriot Act without first toughening its civil liberties protections.
At the same time, after a long struggle with the White House, defence measures approved by Congress included a provision backed by John McCain, the Arizona Republican -- that prohibits US personnel from engaging in "cruel, inhumane and degrading" treatment of detainees anywhere in the world.
Divisions between fiscal conservatives -- worried that the Republican party had lost sight of its commitment to controlling spending -- and moderate Republicans, unhappy with cuts to benefits programmes for the poor, elderly, disabled and students, complicated negotiations on spending cuts.
Taken together, these factors also underscored the weakness of the Republican leadership. Tom DeLay was forced to step down as House majority leader, following his indictment in Texas on money laundering charges. Roy Blunt has stepped into his role, but several close votes have prompted questions about his effectiveness, and some Republicans are pushing for new leadership elections early next year.
In the Senate, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating a sale of stock by Mr Frist. He has also been criticised for being out of touch with members of his caucus, most recently in underestimating the determination of those concerned about the Patriot Act.
When Congress returns next year, lawmakers will resume work on bills to extend several popular tax cuts enacted during Mr Bush's first term. But, just as Social Security has slipped off the agenda, hopes of a broader tax reform are fading.
That leaves immigration as a domestic priority for the White House and Congress. But the issue divides Republicans, particularly on the question of granting legal guestworker status to those who have entered the country illegally.
Mr Mann is not optimistic that the situation will improve soon for Republicans. "Everything I've seen here suggests that next year is going to be worse."
Under syndication arrangement with FE
|