| Congress faces fall crunch time
Can Congress ever cut a deal before the eleventh hour?
This September will be the month to find out.
In the next few weeks, Congress will face a flurry of deadlines, from the expiring gas tax to paying for the nation's transportation projects, not to mention funding the entire federal government - raising the question of whether it will once again push Uncle Sam to the brink.
If recent history is any indication, lawmakers won't be able to help themselves. In the span of six months, they barely averted a government shutdown this spring, flirted with default over the debt ceiling and blew a deadline to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, forcing worker furloughs.
"Honestly, it's very difficult in this environment, partly because each side's political base demands that you fight to the end," said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). "They believe if you get something done early, you probably didn't fight hard enough."
Time is short for Congress's fall to-do list, with the deadlines stacked one on top of the other - setting up a test of whether lawmakers can buckle down and get the work done.
"Given the pace and the productivity this year, we're going to have to really change our ways very rapidly," said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). "We're going to have an unbelievably full plate."
First up is funding for the FAA. The government's authority to do so will run out Friday, a date set after Congress left town in early August without extending the agency's funding, furloughing 4,000 FAA employees and sidelining 70,000 construction workers, while losing $400 million in uncollected taxes. After a two-week partial shutdown of the agency, Congress agreed to keep the FAA running until Friday.
Next up is the deadline for the federal gas tax and the ability to pay for transportation projects, which both expire Sept. 30. House Republicans want a six-year, $230 billion extension of transportation funding, while Senate Democrats are calling for a two-year, $109 billion bill.
"We'd love to see long-term authorization done, but certainly I don't think I or anyone else is confident that you're going to see a long-term bill written by Sept. 30," said Rob Healy, vice president of governmental affairs for the American Public Transportation Association.
And if the gas tax isn't renewed in time, the government could lose $700 million per week in uncollected revenue, according to the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Congressional leaders reached a deal late Friday on the FAA and surface transportation measures that would keep the FAA running until January and highway programs funded until March. The legislation is likely to be considered on the floor early this week.
Meanwhile, Congress has not enacted a single appropriations bill for the coming fiscal year, which it is supposed to do by Sept. 30. The House has passed six of 12 appropriations bills, while the Senate has passed just one. A short-term bill, or continuing resolution, will be necessary.
Congressional leaders have made it clear they want to avoid a spending fight. The agreement reached in August that raised the nation's debt ceiling established a $1.043 trillion spending cap, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said in an August memo to his colleagues that "it is in our interest" to stick to that funding level. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said after the partisan rancor over the debt limit, there's no appetite for another bruising legislative battle.
But conservatives in the House could push for a lower spending level outlined in the budget penned by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, which caps spending at $1.019 trillion for fiscal 2012. Cantor has announced that the House will take up a continuing resolution during the week of Sept. 19.
Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said he doubts the fight will end in a government shutdown or a serious threat of one, like this spring.
"While the agreement had many flaws, one of the benefits was greater predictability with respect to the appropriations process," Van Hollen said. "It didn't guarantee that we would avoid a government shutdown, but it significantly reduced the risks and people playing that kind of game of chicken."
A Senate Appropriations Committee aide agreed.
"Given that both houses agreed to a top-line discretionary number in the recent budget deal, there is no reason a short-term measure designed to maintain government operations should be a subject of controversy," the aide said.
Amid the ticking clocks, Congress will be faced with how to handle federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which ravaged the East Coast, killed at least 40 people and racked up $1.5 billion in estimated damage. And much of the attention will be sucked up by the deficit-slashing supercommittee, which had its first public hearing Thursday.
With everything on Congress's plate, outside observers are frustrated that Congress is working in fits and starts. Todd Hauptli, a senior executive vice president for the American Association of Airport Executives, said airports in the northern part of the country lost precious time to do construction work because they weren't sure they could get federal funding.
"It's awful to have the stopping and starting and the uncertainty surrounding these extensions," Hauptli said. "When you have a short construction season, you have to be ready to go. A number of folks really lost out."
Van Hollen said he sympathizes.
"Look, there's no doubt that we'd be better off if we didn't push these deadlines," the lawmaker said. "We should pass these things to provide greater predictability and move on ... because otherwise, you're in a stop-and-go sort of frame. It would be much better for the process if we could clear the decks and the issue of the deadlines so we can focus on the bigger issues."
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