House returns, primaries

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called back the House for one day of votes on a $26 billion Medicaid and education funding bill, a GOP resolution on the lame-duck session and possibly a border-security measure.

Spurred by the Senate’s action on the state/aid and education legislation, the House on Tuesday is expected to approve the bill that Democrats say will prevent thousands of teacher layoffs across the country.

{mosads}The reason the bill moved through the upper chamber last week is that, on paper anyway, it is completely paid for, offset in part by cuts to food stamp programs.

Conservative Democrats, including Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), have suggested Pelosi and her lieutenants may not have the votes. But passage seems assured.

Blue Dog Democrats have previously balked at spending measures that are not offset. But the addition of the “pay-fors” and the fact that the two Republican senators from Maine backed the bill gives Blue Dogs plenty of cover to vote yes.

Most Republicans will oppose the bill. They argue it’s just another Democratic spending spree that was pushed by labor unions.

GOP lawmakers will get a vote on a privileged resolution seeking to handcuff Democrats in a lame-duck session. Democrats argue there is no “secret plan” to move controversial bills at the end of the 111th Congress, but that has done little to placate the Republicans. The measure, however, is expected to fail on a mostly party-line vote.

At press time, House Democrats were considering scheduling a vote on a bipartisan border-security bill that passed the Senate last week. The legislation is similar to a House measure passed this summer. The Senate has adjourned for August.

There are primaries of note on Tuesday in Connecticut and Colorado. Linda McMahon is favored to win the GOP nod over former Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.); the winner will then take on Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Nov. 2.

President Obama has endorsed Sen. Michael Bennet in the Colorado Democratic primary, but challenger Andrew Romanoff has a good chance to defeat the incumbent. The winner will face Jane Norton or Ken Buck this fall. 

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has endorsed Buck, but DeMint is an exception. Norton has attracted political donations from many powerful Republican senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).