Democrats regain power in Congress today
2007-01-04
Source: Associated Press
email this
print this
del.icio.us
digg this
rss feedJubilant Democrats prepared to elect Rep. Nancy Pelosi as the first woman to run the House of Representatives as the party takes control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in 12 years.
House Democrats planned quick action on legislative priorities that included boosting both the minimum wage and stem cell research. Democrats also said they would pressure President Bush to bring the troops home from Iraq.
The new Congress was convening at noon Thursday, with Democrats still adjusting to the trappings of power, while Republicans grappled with their new role in the minority.
Pelosi, taking over as House speaker, promised immediate steps to ban gifts from lobbyists and to clamp down on travel funded by private interests. Democrats also planned to vote next week to raise the federal minimum wage, increase federal support for stem cell research and allow the government to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices on prescription drugs for Medicare recipients.
On the other side of the Capitol, Nevada Democrat Harry Reid - a soft-spoken but tough inside player - was taking the reins of the notoriously unwieldy Senate. He invited both Democrats and Republicans to a rare closed-door conference Thursday in the Old Senate Chamber in hopes of setting a bipartisan mood after years of political rancor.
The Democratic-led Congress also opens a new chapter in the presidency of Bush, who faces divided government as he cements his legacy in his final two years in the White House. He said Wednesday that he soon would propose a five-year plan to balance the budget, and he challenged Democrats to avoid passing "bills that are simply political" statements.
"There is nothing political about finding a policy to end the war in Iraq, raising the minimum wage, achieving energy independence or helping kids afford college," Reid shot back.
"In fact, politics has prevented progress on these issues for too many years," added Reid, who was to become the new Senate majority leader.
Click here to see the full article.
