About the time kids start returning to school following the Labor Day holiday Sept. 7, the nation’s senators and representatives will return to Washington, D.C., as Congress reconvenes after a recess of more than a month.
It has a significant list of items to accomplish, many directly affecting Washington state residents. And most have to be addressed before the end of October or even more immediately.
Barring again extending deadlines with a continuing resolution — which comes from the Latin for “kicking the can down the road” — Congress must pass legislation on the following:
- The Water and Land Conservation Fund provides grants and other funding to acquire land for parks and preserves. The fund is supported exclusively by royalties from offshore oil-drilling leases, and in its 50-year history has brought about $673 million into Washington to various local, state and national parks and other public lands. That investment promotes the economy by encouraging spending among recreational businesses in the state and throughout the nation. Proposed legislation, supported by both of the state’s senators and several representatives, would make its funding permanent. The fund’s authorization expires Sept. 30.
- Congress extended authorization for the federal Highway Trust Fund at the end of July, but only for three months. The move kept current road and other transportation infrastructure projects going, but now must be approved before the end of October. Prior to its recess, the Senate passed a six-year transportation plan, but only included funding enough for three years. We encourage Congress to reconsider the Grow America Act, which would outline $478 billion, six year’s worth of transportation projects, spending that would repair our neglected roads, bridges and other transportation links and is vital to the nation’s economy.
- Its authorization having already expired earlier this summer, the federal Export-Import Bank is basically mothballed, prevented from continuing its work of more than 80 years to promote exports by providing low-interest loans for foreign purchases of U.S.-made goods. The bank is self-supporting and actually makes a profit for the Treasury. And the need for it is even greater now, following recent events in China. With the markets and currency of the world’s second-largest economy in decline, U.S. manufacturers, particularly Boeing, are in danger of losing more business. And lost business eventually translates into lost jobs. This is not just about Boeing; we have made the point repeatedly that many small- and medium-sized businesses in Snohomish County have relied on the Export-Import Bank in the past.
Looming over those issues, as important as they are, is yet another threat of government shutdown as Congress approaches a Sept. 30 deadline to pass the federal budget. The normally contentious budget debate is now further complicated by the demand by some conservative Republicans to hold up passage of the budget unless all federal funding for Planned Parenthood is pulled.
The threat is a dead-end that even Republican leadership in the House and Senate recognizes. Even if opponents in House and Senate voted to end all funding for the women’s health provider, President Obama has promised to veto any bill with those cuts.
Recall that none of the federal funding that currently goes to Planned Parenthood provides abortion services; that funding is reserved for the organization’s other work in providing contraception, family planning and other health care services for women.
Opponents can call hearings if they wish to investigate allegations against Planned Parenthood. Ending its funding would deprive low-income women of needed health care, would likely result in an increase in abortions, pushes us toward a government shutdown and diverts attention from the issues noted above.
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