Packed congressional agenda till end of year

[SpartanDem]

It's going to be a very busy fall

The healthcare debate will again dominate the congressional agenda when lawmakers return after Labor Day, but a number of other high-profile items will keep the schedule packed until the year's end.

The fight over healthcare is expected to last until at least mid-October -- and perhaps beyond. Democrats will resume their legislative push this week, with President Barack Obama addressing Congress during a joint session Wednesday. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who is leading the bipartisan Gang of Six negotiations trying to strike a deal, said last week that he expects healthcare reform to pass this year and that he's ready to move ahead with or without Republican support.
...
Work on the climate-change bill, a high priority of both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Obama, won't happen until at least mid-September. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) had planned to introduce their bill Sept. 8, but they delayed it because of the healthcare fight, Kerry's hip surgery and the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Kerry and Boxer said last week.

Congress must still approve all 12 appropriations bills for the next fiscal year, which begins in October. While the House has passed all 12 of its bills, the Senate has only approved four of them, none of which have made it out of a House-Senate conference and onto the president's desk.
....
The Obama administration is also hoping Congress soon turns to its plan for new financial regulations, seen by the White House as key to preventing another financial collapse. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, at a meeting of finance ministers Saturday, called on other countries to "move now" to implement a new financial framework at both the international and domestic levels. Geithner at the meeting touted the president's plan, which would boost the minimum levels of capital for financial firms and give more power to the Federal Reserve to oversee them.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/57477-packed-congressional-agenda-through-end-of-year