• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

US Congress to Address Taxes, Russian Nuclear Treaty During New Session

VOA News
15 November 2010

The U.S. Congress begins its so-called "lame-duck" session Monday, with lawmakers to consider several important items in the weeks ahead, including extending tax breaks and ratification in the Senate of a new nuclear arms deal with Russia.

This session marks the last chance to shape policy for lawmakers who were voted out of office or did not run in elections held earlier this month. A new Congress takes office in January, with a smaller Democratic Party majority in the Senate and a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

President Barack Obama says he feels "reasonably good" about the chances of the Senate approving the nuclear arms pact with Russia. Returning from Asia Sunday, he said the measure has received strong bipartisan support.

Republicans have expressed concerns about limiting U.S. missile defense efforts, and they say the American nuclear arsenal needs to be modernized. The treaty would cut U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles by about a third, but it must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate.

President Obama met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the just-concluded Asia-Pacific economic summit in Japan. Mr. Obama assured the Russian president that ratification is a top congressional priority, and he promised an energetic lobbying effort. The two leaders signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in April.

In Monday's Washington Post, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. has a responsibility to monitor the world's other large nuclear power. They said the pact would create a "more stable, predictable and cooperative relationship" between the two countries.

Democratic Senator John Kerry, who heads the Foreign Relations Committee, said earlier this month he is very hopeful the Senate will ratify the treaty before the end of the year.

In addition to the nuclear treaty, Congress is expected to debate extending tax cuts that were enacted under the administration of President George W. Bush and are set to expire this year. Democrats, including Mr. Obama, have said they support extending breaks for middle-class Americans, while returning the rates for wealthier taxpayers to higher levels.

Two incoming Democratic senators - Chris Coons of Delaware and Joe Manchin of West Virginia - are being sworn in Monday. Coons was elected to fill the seat formerly held by Biden, and Manchin was elected to fill the remaining two years of the seat held by Senator Robert Byrd, who died in June.