GAI Newsletter

Senate Vacancies Become an Issue in the 111th Congress

By Susan Sullivan Lagon, Ph.D., Senior Fellow

The November 3 special election victories of Democrats John Garamendi (CA-10) and Bill Owens (NY-23) restore the “People’s House” to its full complement. Democrats now have 258 seats to Republicans’ 177, although the Democrats anticipate a vacancy when Robert Wexler (FL-19) resigns on January 3. A special election to replace him has been scheduled for April 6. As the Constitution makes clear, the only way to membership in the U.S. House of Representatives is via the ballot box.

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Upcoming GAI Course(s):

Congressional Update

The Congressional Update is a one-day course offered on Capitol Hill between sessions of a two-year Congress.

It is intended to explain and analyze the major events that will have occurred in the First Session of a Congress, and examine what is likely to occur in the Second Session.

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Director's Desk

The more things change the more they remain the same. On October 30 the president signed HR 2996, the Interior-Environment appropriations bill, which also contained the second continuing resolution funding the departments and agencies under the seven appropriations bills that have yet to be passed. By keeping the government funded through December 18, it becomes unlikely that Congress will adjourn before that date. It also appears unlikely that Congress will pass all seven bills before the end of the year, so look for at least some of them to be rolled into a “minibus,” probably tacked on to the Defense bill, which may also include a raise in the debt ceiling, which the Senate has yet to pass.

On January 20, we’ll be conducting a Congressional Update on Capitol Hill, and we hope to see many of you there. Also feel free to contact us if you’d like us to conduct a tailored version of the Update at your department or agency.

- Ken Gold

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