Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Senate Likely To Return To Bickering

Associated Press

September could be a tense month for the Senate.

The bipartisan bonhommie over the budget will be long gone when lawmakers return from the August recess, and Majority Leader Trent Lott’s full legislative calendar could be stopped in its tracks.

Furious over the continuing Republican investigation of Sen. Mary Landrieu’s election, Democrats have threatened to shut down all floor action except for votes on appropriations bills.

And Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russell Feingold, D-Wis., bipartisan sponsors of campaign finance legislation, have threatened to continually attach their measure to other bills unless they get an up-or-down vote on it as a free-standing measure.

“I would think that nothing could slow things down more than to attach a campaign finance bill to every other piece of legislation that comes along,” said Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle, D-S.D. “We’ve got the potential for some interesting weeks as soon as we get back.”