Lawmakers to squeeze new security agency into crowded agenda

House and Senate leaders face the chore this week of figuring out how to squeeze President Bush's latest priority-creating a new Homeland Security Department-into an already crowded and chaotic congressional calendar.

While the House and Senate each have passed a fiscal 2002 supplemental appropriations bill, 13 spending bills for fiscal 2003 require action. Preliminaries were scheduled to begin this week on reconciling differing versions of the supplemental, and a conference committee on trade is awaiting appointees.

House leaders also planned this week to continue to chip away at sunset provisions on tax breaks enacted last year in an effort to make the tax cuts permanent. But between July 4 and the scheduled August recess-along with the looming fall elections-it will be a challenge to meet all of the leadership's priorities. That is one reason an aide to House Speaker Hastert warned last week of a "lame duck" session after the November elections, while other sources have floated the idea of packaging appropriations bills together to speed their passage.

Daschle, who was out of town late last week, has yet to weigh in on how to handle Bush's request to restructure the government by the end of the year. Daschle's spokeswoman said Democrats would discuss the proposed Homeland Security Department Tuesday at their weekly luncheon. Daschle also must referee a number of jurisdictional disputes that are cropping up among competing committee and subcommittee chairmen seeking to have a hand in overseeing a new homeland security agency. Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has said direction from Daschle will be needed.

The House also must determine how to move forward with Bush's homeland security program. Before leaving town late last week, House Republican leaders met briefly to discuss the timing and coordination of committee action to set up the new cabinet position, but they did not come to any decisions.