Controversial Policies in Store for Lame Duck Session

This year's lame-duck session has the potential to be one of the most controversial in recent memory. Congressional Democrats have signaled their intention to hold votes on as many as 20 pieces of legislation in the period between this week's midterm elections and the January swearing-in of newly elected members of Congress. Their agenda includes several unpopular bills that the majority of Oklahomans oppose.

If there's one message the electorate has communicated this election season, it is that runaway government spending must be stopped. However, House Democrats are poised to pass another $1 trillion in spending before year's end. Due to their failure to pass either a budget or 10 out of 12 annual appropriations bills, it seems inevitable that the Democratic majority will push through a massive omnibus spending bill that rolls a dozen separate funding bills into one. Eliminating wasteful government spending should be a top priority, but the liberal majority has made that vital task virtually impossible by omitting the process of committee consideration and even adequate debate on this year's spending legislation.

Tax policy is another important issue that Speaker Pelosi has neglected to address this year. Absent congressional action, tax cuts passed during the Bush administration are set to expire on January 1. Although economists agree that raising taxes during a recession would be a disaster, President Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill refuse to commit to extending the tax cuts for all businesses and taxpayers. The Democratic majority refused to hold a vote on tax relief before the election. Consequently, any changes to the tax code will now be under the control of a lame-duck Congress full of legislators who have been voted out of office and will, therefore, not be accountable to constituents.

Many liberals view the lame-duck session as their best chance to pass unpopular policies favored by their pet special interest groups. Among the most controversial of these measures is the erroneously named "Employee Free Choice Act." Also known as "card check," this legislation would take away workers' rights to private ballots when deciding whether to organize a union. Card check is opposed by 74 percent of voters and by 88 percent of union workers, yet it remains a priority for President Obama.

According to a recent poll, nearly 70 percent of Americans oppose a lame-duck session. However, the Democratic majority predictably rejected a resolution introduced by House Republicans to prevent the lame duck. From Obamacare to the failed stimulus bill, congressional liberals have ignored the will of the American people time and time again. It should come as no surprise if they continue to pursue a liberal, out-of-touch agenda in the lame-duck session.

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