Deals well done

Even though the election is less than six months away, lawmakers are getting legislative work done on Capitol Hill.

Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle deserve applause for the deals they struck this week on the war supplemental and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

These were must-pass bills because the troops need funding and key FISA provisions are slated to expire in early August. But just because the bills are necessary, that doesn’t mean getting the deals done was easy.
There were many legislative obstacles that had to be overcome, and factions on the left and right are not pleased with the compromises.

Yet House and Senate leaders, working closely with the White House, labored for weeks on the high-profile bills. Many conservative Democrats wanted the GI Bill provisions to be paid for in the war supplemental, something that other members did not feel was necessary. Meanwhile, the House and Senate took different supplemental strategies on how to deal with an extension of unemployment benefits.

While the supplemental and FISA bills are not yet signed into law, significant progress was made this week, most notably in the lower chamber.

House Republicans, who have not played a major role in policymaking now that they are in the minority, had a seat at the table on FISA and the war bills.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) couldn’t resist taking a shot at his Democratic counterparts while announcing the bipartisan deal on the supplemental: “This legislation shows that when Democrats are actually willing to reach out and work with Republicans, we can get things done for the American people.”

There are many who deserve credit on FISA and without doubt, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is among them. He has been working tirelessly, listening to the concerns of Republicans and Democrats on the thorny issues of privacy and immunity for the telephone companies that participated in electronic surveillance.

Other main players on FISA include House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Senate Intelligence Committee leaders Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.).

These members, as well as the legislators who crafted the supplemental compromise, deserve kudos.

Congressional approval ratings are at an all-time low because there is frustration with what is and isn’t coming out of the 110th Congress. But that doesn’t mean members aren’t working hard on problems facing the country.

This newspaper does not shy away from critical coverage of members when warranted. Likewise, we give praise when it is warranted. This week, members earned it.