Duck Season Opens

Ernest Istook / September 30, 2010

As Congress vacates Washington to campaign, they promise (or threaten) to return after Election Day to clean up the mess they leave behind.

As Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) told a Heritage Foundation audience, it’s unclear whether the post-election session will be lame ducks.  Or dead ducks.  Or Daffy Ducks.

Nelson had a cute line, but there’s nothing cute about Congress’ unfinished business, nor about the problems the uncertainty creates for the country.

Headlines show the leftover mess will be big and confusing.  “Democrats to stuff 20 bills into post-election lame-duck session” was the banner in The Hill.

But it’s a mystery whether they will halt the automatic tax hikes that hit January 1^st.  Or how much they will decide to spend—since Congress failed to adopt a budget. (more…)