WASHINGTON — As congressional Democrats prepare to celebrate their first 100 days in the majority, they boast that they have worked more hours, passed more bills and held more oversight hearings than Republicans did when they were in charge.
But when it comes to how many of their top legislative priorities have become law, a different number stands out: 0. None of the six bills that House Democrats passed in their initial legislative juggernaut have made it to the president's desk.
Still, Democrats say they are proud of the steps they have taken to chart a new course after 12 years of GOP rule, such as stepping up the pressure on President Bush to end U.S. involvement in Iraq and toughening congressional ethics rules.
The 100th day milestone, which arrives Friday while the House is still on a two-week spring break, amounts to an opening act in a political drama that will likely become even livelier. Congressional Democrats are headed toward confrontations with the White House over many issues, from the war to domestic spending.
"We are just getting warmed up," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
Democrats took control of Congress on Jan. 4 after campaigning against "do-nothing" Republicans. To show they were different, Democrats rushed through the House six popular bills in what party leaders calculated was 42 hours, 13 minutes and 28 seconds of legislative time. House Democrats boast they have passed nearly twice as many bills in their first three months as did each of the previous three Congresses.
Scores of bills and resolutions have passed one chamber, often with bipartisan support, including a resolution that would grant honorary posthumous citizenship to Casimir Pulaski, a Polish-born hero of the American Revolution, and a measure that would establish a commission to study creation of a museum in Washington dedicated to the art, history and culture of Latinos.
But a major obstacle threatens the Democrats' ambition of racking up an impressive list of legislative achievements: the closely divided Senate.
In its first two days, the House adopted tough new ethics rules to end the secrecy behind earmarks, ban lawmakers from budget-rate flights on corporate jets and retire the practice of lobbyist-paid meals in response to the scandals Democrats highlighted in the fall elections. It took the Senate two weeks to approve its version.
