Congress Returns To Capitol Hill - Briefly

In the shadow of a national election campaign, lawmakers return to the Capitol this week for a brief pre-election session likely to be marked more by political combat than bipartisan legislative accomplishment.

The No. 1 agenda item for Republicans and Democrats alike is passage of spending legislation necessary to keep the government running normally beyond the Oct. 1 beginning of the new fiscal year.

Majority Republicans have made it clear they’ll do what they must to avoid a replay of the two 1995 shutdowns that damaged them politically. “We’re not putting poison pills into the bills,” says Tony Blankley, spokesman for House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Beyond that, Republicans hope to send immigration legislation to the president - probably for his veto - and move politically-charged bills to curb government benefits for same-sex marriage partners and bar U.S. troops from serving under international command.