The Elections and What it Means to You
By Pat Figueroa, Jr.
The results of the November 7th mid-term elections
seem far in the past by now. But the takeover by the 110th Congress
is upon us. The two chambers of the Congress, the Senate and the House, will
have a Democratic majority for the first time in nearly 20 years. As usual in
mid-term elections, the party in power lost a few seats. In the recent
elections, however, Republicans not only lost the majority but did so in a big
way.
The 109th Congress has been called
the “Do-Nothing Congress,” a term coined by Harry Truman back in the
1940s to describe what he called an inactive body. The failure of the
109th Congress to perform even the most basic functions of the
legislative branch would not be so troubling had the legislators worked hard.
But the GOP leadership, which is charged with scheduling the work of the
Congress, kept the legislators in session only 103 days this year, seven days
fewer than the "Do-Nothing Congress” against which President Truman
campaigned in 1948. The total was 137 days fewer than a full-time worker logs
annually, even if he or she has four weeks of vacation a year. Unlike the
typical worker, rank-and-file members of Congress earn $165,200 a year, and
this year for the first time they took off for a St. Patrick's Day holiday
To make matters worse, they adjourned without doing their jobs.
At the very least, the job of the Congress is to fund the functioning of the
government. By law, the government's fiscal year starts October 1st. The
Congress is supposed to pass appropriations bills -- 12 of them -- by that
date. The 109th passed two bills: on defense and homeland security. Since then,
it passed only a continuing appropriations bill, one that allows the government
to continue spending money at the same pace as in the past. And before they
left town and adjourned, the legislators passed another continuing
appropriation, leaving the work on 10 key bills tothe 110th Congress.
The new Congress will be led by Nancy Pelosi in the House, the
first woman speaker in history, and Harry Reid in the Senate. But for
individuals with disabilities, it is the chairs of the committees and
subcommittees assigned that have the power to bring about change in such areas
as Medicare, Social Security, spending for CILs, restoration of the Americans
with Disabilities Act, and maybe even HAVA (Help America Vote Act). The latter
will be re-evaluated in part because paperless electronic voting machines do
not allow for recounts.
Here are some expected committee assignments and facts related
to how the House changes could affect disability and aging issues:
House Energy and Commerce Committee (This is the
committee with jurisdiction over the reauthorization of the Developmental
Disabilities Act and traumatic brain injury reauthorization.) 109th Congress
chairman -- Barton (R-Texas): supports Medicaid cuts but has not been a
strong supporter of the TBI reauthorization. Anticipated 110th
Congress chairman -- Dingell (D-Mich.): a strong supporter of Medicaid and
disability issues.
House Appropriations Committee (This is the committee
with jurisdiction over program funding.) 109th Congress chairman --
Lewis (R-Calif.): has been supportive of disability, particularly housing, in
the past. Anticipated 110th Congress chairman -- Obey (D-Wis.): a strong
supporter of disability programs.
House Labor-Health and Human Service-Education Appropriations
Subcommittee (This is the subcommittee that funds Protection and Advocacy/
Client Assistance Program and most other disability, education, labor and
health-related programs.) 109th Congress chairman -- Regula (R-Ohio):
has a good staff and is supportive of disability, education and health
programs. Anticipated 110th Congress chairman -- Obey is ranking member
now, but if he becomes chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, he may
not have a subcommittee. Other Democrats in order of seniority are Hoyer (Md.),
Lowey (N.Y.), Jackson (Ill.), Kennedy (R.I.), and Roybal-Allard (Calif.).
House Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee (This is the committee that funds federal
housing programs, rental vouchers, etc.) 109th Congress chairman --
Knollenberg (R-Mich.): has some interest in disability issues, but funding for
housing has been really tight. Anticipated 110th Congress chairman --
Oliver (D-Mass.): not much known about his priorities.
House Education and Workforce Committee (This is the
committee that has jurisdiction over the reauthorization of the Rehabilitation
Act with CAP, No Child Left Behind, etc.) 109th Congress chairman --
McKeon (R-Calif.): supportive of some issues, such as assistive technology.
Anticipated 110th Congress chairman -- Miller (D-Calif.): very high on
disability issues.
House Judiciary Committee (This is the committee that
usually has jurisdiction over rights issues, ADA, hate crimes, consent decree
bills, etc.) 109th Congress chairman -- Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.):
introduced the ADA Restoration Act but has been problematic on many disability
and civil-rights issues. Anticipated 110th Congress chairman -- Conyers
(D-Mich.): an advocate of civil rights and disability issues.
House Financial Services Committee (This is the committee
that deals with housing issues.) 109th Congress chairman -- Oxley
(R-Ohio): Approachable on certain issues. Anticipated 110th Congress
chairman -- Frank (D-Mass.): supportive of civil rights and has a staff
knowledgeable on disability issues, but he was not supportive of elderly-only
housing legislation.
House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Housing
and Community Opportunity (This committee would work on Affordable Housing
Trust Fund legislation, legislation to revamp the Section 811 Supportive
Housing Program, etc.) 109th Congress chairman -- Ney (R-Ohio): Resigned
from the House. He was approachable on many of disability-related issues.
Anticipated 110th Congress chairman -- the current ranking member is
Waters (D-Calif.), but leadership here could also change.
House Budget Committee (This committee handles the budget
resolution and other budget-related issues.) 109th Congress chairman --
Nussle (R-Iowa): left Congress to run for Iowa governor but lost. He has been
out front on cuts to entitlement and other important programs. Anticipated
110th Congress chairman -- Spratt (D-S.C.): supportive on funding for
domestic programs.
House Committee on Ways and Means (This is the committee
with jurisdiction over revenue measures, such as tax cuts.) 109th Congress
chairman -- Thomas (R-Calif.). Anticipated 110th Congress chairman
-- Rangel (D-N.Y.). Strong supporter of domestic programs.
Committee on House Administration (This is the committee
with jurisdiction over the Help America Vote Act and other voting-related
measures.) 109th Congress chairman -- Ehlers (R-Mich.). Anticipated
110th Congress chairman -- Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.).
Because of the war in Iraq, most disability policy leaders in
the Washington, D.C., area do not expect an immediate turnaround by the new
Congress to focus on domestic policy. But about half a year from now, when the
2008 federal budget begins to take shape, a new emphasis on domestic policy,
especially social programs, will begin to emerge. A reversal of cuts on
national social programs (i.e., education, Medicare, Medicaid) likely will
become an alternative strategy to funding the war in Iraq.
*****
Pat Figueroa, Jr., is an artist, author, advocate and
co-founder of Independence Today. He resides in New York.
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