Congress faces busy lame-duck session as it returns to Washington
Lester Holt on Capitol Hill in 2012. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
December 6, 2013
Updated October 3, 2014: Since writing this article, Representative John Kline, who was the first-ever member of Congress to represent Alaska, died in a crash during his campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
November 26, 2012
Updated December 2, 2014: Following the article’s publication, it was revealed that Representative Jack Kingston had taken a job with an oil company shortly after announcing his support for a Republican leadership takeover at the House of Representatives. When Kingston was initially offered a paid position, he accepted but was subsequently told that he would have to leave the post.
January 22, 2013
Updated Dec. 28, 2014: Representative Trent Franks was confirmed as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee by the full House on January 22, 2013. On March 11, 2013, he was confirmed as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
November 13, 2012
Updated Jan. 26, 2013: This is a re-run of the article from November 12, 2012, which covered the Democrats’ attempt to force a vote on the Affordable Care Act on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Laurie Adkins, The Washington Post
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is fighting a new battle over the new president’s healthcare law.
The House of Representatives is beginning a new session next Tuesday in hopes of reaching a deal on tax and spending talks before the end of the year. Congress is poised to return to Washington after a brief Christmas break on Tuesday, the first in what is scheduled to be a busy year for the congressional bodies.
On a busy morning on Monday, the committee mark-up vote on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act was scheduled for the House Ways and Means Committee despite the absence of many senior Democrats who would have been needed to back a measure.
In the committee hearing, Rep. Ron Kind was the sole Republican to oppose the repeal of the law.
“There are more than 5,800 members of my caucus,” Kind said, “and if we were to take away their very, very important provisions, we
