Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: November 2006
• Congress closed up shop on September 29, and November 13 was set as the date for what might be a lame-duck Congress to reconvene.

• Congress closed up shop on September 29, and November 13 was set as the date for what might be a lame-duck Congress to reconvene. The long interval freed legislators who are up for election to go to their home districts and do battle for votes. Democrats are hoping that the scandals surrounding Republican congressmen will influence voters to restore the Democrats to majorities in the House and Senate. The activities of lobbyist Jack Abramoff put Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.) in jail and caused Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) to plead guilty to corruption charges that stemmed from his relationship with the lobbyist. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) threw in the towel after revelations of inappropriate behavior with Congressional pages.

• President Bush signed the Department of Homeland Security annual spending bill, which includes $1.2 billion for a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border; increases the number of U.S. Border Patrol Agents to 14,800; funds 27,500 detention beds for illegal aliens; and finances hundreds of programs, including transportation and port security.

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