Home | Live Now! |  Try it Now
The Scouting Report: Congress at the August Recess
 
12:19
Fred Barbash -  We're getting ready to start the chat, please stay tuned.
12:28
Fred Barbash-Moderator -  

Welcome to all.

 

In an unusually busy session, Congress tackled an economic recovery package,  the federal budget and expansions in children’s health care. But as Members  break for the August recess, some of the most important  business, including  climate change and health care reform, remains  unfinished. Senior Fellow Thomas Mann—a noted congressional scholar—is assessing the achievements to date and the unresolved issues ahead. But will partisan gridlock, Democratic infighting and big price tags stop legislation to revamp the health care system and reduce greenhouse gases?

 

Welcome Tom. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Let’s get started.

12:28
[Comment From Laurie ]
Do you expect health care reform to pass after August recess? What about climate change legislation?
12:28
Thomas Mann -  In spite of the major obstacles and uncertainty, I do expect health care reform to pass before the end of the year.   The odds of climate change are substantially lower.
12:28
[Comment From Jason]
How would you rate the work of Congress so far in the first part of this session?
12:29
Thomas Mann -  It has been a very impressive start.   Congress has enacted more than a dozen significant pieces of legislation and begun grapplying with some of the toughest issues on the agenda.
12:30
[Comment From Gary]
Do you think Obama has successfully reached across the aisle on key issues?
12:31
Thomas Mann -  Obama has reached across the aisle but not successfully.   The partisan division is as large and intense as ever.   Republicans have settled into a purely opposition strategy and Democrats have decided to proceed largely on their own.
12:31
[Comment From Fred]
Obama’s approval rating has been slipping in the past weeks. What do you make of this?
12:32
Thomas Mann -  It reflects a very difficult economy, a contentious debate on health reform that has been framed largely by the opposition, and the backlash from the Skip Gates matter.
    Page 1  Next >
 
Powered by: CoveritLive  Reader Information