I have examined some of the dangers of the planned "lame duck" sessions of Congress here. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) share my concerns. They have written a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, pledging to object to “any non-emergency, substantial and controversial legislation, nominations, or treaties.”
More details on the letter and the efforts to stop the lame duck can be found here and below:
In the letter to Reid, Cruz and Lee said they feared a lame-duck session would include votes on immigration legislation, tax and spending increases and “corporate cronyism.” It’s also likely to include confirmation of new judges and executive nominees, though Republicans are already generally preventing swift votes on those through procedural tactics.
“Presumably, a lame-duck session would be used to try to pass partisan, unpopular bills in November or December that might be indefensible before the federal election on November 4th,” the conservative duo wrote. “Deliberately planning to reconvene the Senate in a lame-duck session to address major new legislation would subvert the will of the American people, lessen accountability, and do lasting damage to the dignity and integrity of this body’s proceedings.”
Cruz and Lee said said they will only consent to swift consideration of “housekeeping” legislation or unseseen congressional reactions to emergencies.
The National Internet Tax Mandate certainly qualifies as “non-emergency, substantial and controversial legislation" that is unpopular with the American people.
Don't miss your chance to hear from Senator Cruz at LPAC 2014!
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PDFTags: LPAC, Ted Cruz, National Internet Tax Mandate, lame duck, Mike Lee