Long “To Do List” as Congress Returns for Lame Duck - November 16, 2010

Both chambers of Congress have returned to Washington for a post-election “lame duck” session. Both the House and Senate will recess next week for Thanksgiving and will return Nov. 29 to continue the Lame Duck session. The laundry list of issues to be discussed is long and includes decisions to be made on FY 2012 Appropriations, extensions of Bush-era tax cuts, and the “Doc Fix,” which is scheduled to expire Nov. 30. Congressional leaders from both parties are meeting with President Obama on Wednesday to discuss potential opportunities to move these “must pass” items in a bipartisan way. Also on Wednesday, federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Don Berwick, MD, is scheduled to make his first official appearance on Capitol Hill when he testifies before the Senate Finance Committee. His written testimony is available online.