Finish line is slipping away for Congress

House and Senate members are convinced that the 110th Congress is likely to extend into next week, next month or possibly November, as the chambers’ already crowded agenda now includes rescuing Wall Street.

Lawmakers are also wrestling with still-simmering debates on energy, taxes, economic stimulus proposals, defense policy and a must-pass, stopgap spending resolution to keep the federal government running.

{mosads}In the Senate, that’s enough of a workload to convince many members — from leadership to rank and file — that a Friday adjournment for the rest of the year is not likely to happen.

“No way,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). “We’re going to be here for a while.”

The good news is that there is bipartisan agreement on the likelihood of an extension of the current session or a lame-duck session.

“For all of these things to get accomplished before the end of the week is going to require a level of bipartisanship that perhaps isn’t evident here on most days,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the GOP’s chief deputy whip.

Even Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) reminded reporters that no presidential-election-year Congress in the past 20 years has adjourned in September.“We’ve had them go as late as Oct. 28,” Reid said. “My caucus has a lot of things they’ve planned and want to do, there’s campaigns going on, and they would like to go home. But we’re going to finish this at the right time, not some arbitrary date.”

The size and scope of the remaining agenda are even throwing doubt on Congress’s usual last-minute knack for wrapping up agreements and fleeing town on Thursday nights before a weekend.

{mospagebreak}“I don’t know how much magic dust we have left,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). “I think it’s in short supply. But stay tuned.”

Among the few mileposts that can point the way forward is the end of the fiscal year next Tuesday, Sept. 30 — a drop-dead deadline for a spending resolution to keep the government operating. This year, however, that normally benign date has been infused with the fiery political debate over energy, with leaders prepared to let the 27-year-old congressional ban on offshore drilling expire on the same date.

The congressional ban has been included in annual spending bills, or continuing resolutions passed in lieu of those measures.

{mosads}Several Democrats say that could leave a dangerous vacuum with no clear guidelines on offshore oil drilling.

“There’s no framework established for revenue-sharing, there’s no clear framework for coastal zones,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.). “Some could argue a vacuum may be as detrimental as the moratorium.”

One challenge to meeting Wednesday’s deadline for funding the government is that the Jewish New Year begins at sundown on Monday and ends at sundown on Wednesday. Lawmakers have traditionally honored the holiday, leaving the weekend as the most viable alternative for finishing work on the continuing resolution. Leadership aides say there is no clear decision yet on how to cope with that possibility.

Lobbyists are watching closely but know little more. One said the White House sent Congress a list of demands on Monday for accepting a longer-term funding resolution beyond a few weeks. The list reportedly included approval of the Colombia free trade deal, as well as an India-U.S. nuclear agreement.

 A White House spokeswoman said President Bush did not send a letter to Congress on Monday outlining demands for an acceptable continuing resolution, but said that the Office of Management and Budget informally communicated to the Hill a few weeks ago.

“As far as demands, we haven’t seen a CR yet so I don’t have any comment to offer yet,” said spokeswoman Corrine Hirsch.

In the House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said it’s possible that neither the financial bill nor a continuing resolution to fund the government will be finished by Friday.

“We are willing to work through the weekend if that’s what’s required,” Hoyer said. “The Congress is not going to be in a position to not be able to respond.”

Jared Allen and Jim Snyder contributed to this article.