Congress Returns to a Full Plate

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WASHINGTON — Congress returns this week to face an agenda stuffed with difficult, high-profile issues that will test the ability of Democrats and the White House to deliver health care, energy and spending legislation while simultaneously contending with a Supreme Court nomination.

“This is where the rubber meets the road,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, who will be central to trying to meet a daunting timetable for making significant progress this summer on measures sought by President Obama.

While acknowledging the challenge, Mr. Emanuel and others say expanded Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate have defied expectations so far and won approval of a series of contentious bills, including the $787 billion economic stimulus package, enacted a budget and finished off the spring with a series of consumer-oriented economic measures.

But Republicans say the earlier legislation could prove to have been fairly easy in comparison with the coming battles on health care and energy because Democrats have yet to find a balance among their own members of Congress, let alone with Republicans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/politics/01cong.html?th&emc=th