House Dems hit rough legislative patch

House Democrats have hit a legislative rough patch over the
last two weeks.

Democrats have slowed the pace of their agenda, but the majority is finding it just as hard — if not harder — to pass legislation
as it was during the run-up to the economic stimulus, climate change and
healthcare votes.

{mosads}Twice in a two-week stretch, Democrats failed to pass an $80
billion bill to bolster investments in science and technology.  In each instance, the COMPETES Act —
the Democrats’ latest piece of jobs legislation — was the only non-suspension
bill on the week’s calendar.

And when the COMPETES Act was brought up along with a rule
allowing for debate, a Republican motion to recommit the bill prevailed thanks
to language cracking down on government employees or contractors who had been
disciplined for viewing on-line pornography while on the job — too many
Democrats believed they could not cast a vote against that.

But because the Republican motion also gutted the bill’s
funding, Democrats removed it from consideration.

Rather than play chicken with another Republican motion to
recommit, Democrats on Thursday brought the bill up under suspension of the
rules. The bill went down for a
second time, having failed to win a two-thirds majority after all but 15
Republicans voted against it.

Things didn’t get any easier for the majority, though, when
they looked inward for relief.

Just hours after the COMPETES Act failed again, Democratic
leaders were forced to back away from their initial plan to bring a massive
package of tax extenders to the floor by Friday.

Although the tax extenders bill was the product of weeks
worth of negotiations between House and Senate tax writers, members of the
conservative Blue Dog Coalition — already wary of the cost of the bill —
objected to such a swift consideration of a bill that had been completed only
that morning.

Postponing the tax extenders bill until early next week puts
in jeopardy the goal of having the bill signed into law by June 1, when dozens
of tax cuts are set to expire.

Blue Dog Democrats as a whole were coy about the level of
displeasure they had with the bill, although it became clear by the end of the day
Thursday that numerous conservative Democrats were leaning toward voting
against a tax bill that wasn’t offset with revenue raisers or spending cuts,
raising the possibility that yet another vote will be razor close.

In all instances, Democrats sought to put the blame on the
minority party.

“The Republicans have been very irresponsible, I think,
in terms of what they’ve been doing on motions to recommit,” Speaker Nancy
Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in an interview with The Hill on Wednesday, a day before
her second attempt at passing the COMPETES Act.

Democrats again blamed Republicans for failing to deliver
enough votes the second time around. 
And when it came to postponing consideration of the tax extenders bill,
leading Democrats made clear their displeasure — even ahead of time — at
getting minimal to no Republican support.

“The American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes and
Preventing Outsourcing Act will come to the House Floor for a vote next
week,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a Thursday
statement. “Members will have
ample time to review this bill, which will create and save jobs, provide tax
relief to the middle class, close tax loopholes, and prevent corporations from
shipping jobs overseas. 
Republicans have voted against every job creation measure put forward so
far, but I hope they change course and join with us as we fight for America’s
middle class.”

Even with healthcare behind them and another huge special
election victory in their pocket, Democrats do not have any easier of a road
from here on out.

Beyond the tax extenders, Democrats must pass a war-funding
bill in the midst of continuing to roll out their piece-by-piece jobs
agenda.  In addition, Pelosi is
eying other liberal priorities such as an amendment to the Defense
Authorization bill ending the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell”
policy, as well as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Pelosi told The Hill this week the don’t ask, don’t tell policy would be history by the end of the year.

Pelosi appears to be keenly aware of the obstacles Republicans plan to throw in her path, on top of the challenge she faces in winning enough support from her own caucus.

“When we bring a bill to the floor, we win,” she
said Wednesday.  “But I’m not
going to allow a situation to develop where [Republican] actions, which are
political, get in the way of the policy advancements that we make…  So we have to review all of that when
we go forward.”