Lame Duck Plan Is a Lame Idea

Jul 26, 2010
Frankly Speaking

It’s been a rocky year and a half for the American people, who have continued to suffer from high unemployment rates and a sagging economy.  And rather than addressing these tough issues facing Americans, the 111th Congress has instead focused on controversial pieces of legislation, massive in size, dramatic in impact, and unfathomable in cost.  With only a few full weeks of session scheduled before the end of the year, many Americans have begun breathing a sigh of relief that many of the most controversial pieces of legislation on Speaker Pelosi and President Obama’s agenda will most likely not have time to pass.  Perhaps they shouldn’t breathe too quickly – discussions of a possible “lame duck” session have already begun to hit the airwaves.

A “lame duck” session of Congress occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the term of the current Congress ends.  Historically, these sessions have been used to tie up loose ends.  However, the word around Washington has been that congressional Democrats could use this time to pursue an aggressive and substantive agenda during a lame duck session before they lose a large number of seats in both the House and the Senate – and possibly the majority in one or both chambers.

The problem with a lame duck session is that it occurs after many members of Congress have been voted out of office or have retired.  They are no longer held accountable for their actions by their constituents and can choose to enact legislation that they usually may not support.  Top items in the lame duck session could be the controversial cap-and-tax plan, radical overhaul of our immigration laws, and massive new spending bills aimed at funding their liberal agenda. 

Simply put, this is not the way to govern.  Lame duck sessions should only be used to wrap up necessary business Congress was unable to complete – not to pass divisive and unpopular legislation that would dramatically alter the way our country operates.

Recent Posts


Sep 18, 2024
Press

Lucas Honors NASA’s Hidden Figures at Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony

Washington, DC – Today, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas attended a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, where he had the opportunity to honor the Hidden Figures, a group of women crucial to the space race. These women helped calculate the Apollo 11 mission to land the first astronaut on the moon. Medals […]



Sep 11, 2024
Agriculture

Lucas Leads Debate to Add Ag Secretary as Member of CFIUS

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives considered H.R. 9456, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. H.R. 9456, introduced by Congressman Dan Newhouse, will codify a set of policies that were enacted under the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, including Rep. Lucas’s bill to add the Secretary […]



Aug 7, 2024
Press

Chairman Lucas, Rep. Miller introduce legislation to improve weather prediction

Washington, DC – Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas and Congressman Max Miller (OH-07) introduced H.R. 9219, the Weather Data Taxpayer Protection Act. This legislation is a critical step in improving the accuracy and reliability of weather prediction by ensuring weather tools, purchased with taxpayer funds, are more accurate, standardized, and able to account for ever-changing weather risks. […]