WASHINGTON — The lights went out. The House voting machine crashed. And partisan battling exploded Friday on Capitol Hill, stalling key legislation and casting a lengthening shadow over Democrats' first year of total majority rule since 1994.
Throughout what was to be the last day before the summer recess, Democratic leaders scrambled to pass bills to shift U.S. energy policy, authorize surveillance of terrorism suspects and fund the Defense Department for the next fiscal year.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday August 05, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 28 words Type of Material: Correction
Congress chaos: An article in Saturday's Section A on partisan tensions in the House identified Rep. David Dreier of San Dimas as a Democrat. He is a Republican.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, August 08, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part Page National Desk 1 inches; 35 words Type of Material: Correction
Spy agency operations: An article in Saturday's Section A on the scramble to pass legislation before Congress' summer recess referred to the Foreign Intelligence Services Act. It should have said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The energy bill, which would encourage greater use of clean fuels, and the surveillance measure, which would close a legal loophole hindering intelligence-gathering overseas, were seen as particularly vital. The Senate approved the surveillance bill late Friday.
But long-simmering tensions between Democrats and Republicans erupted in shouting and a GOP walkout in the House, and action on the measures there was put off until today -- an unusual weekend session.
While the legislation is expected to pass, lawmakers from both parties bemoaned the bedlam and the collapse of decorum in the House late Thursday night.
"It's a toxic kind of atmosphere," said Rep. Bob Filner, an eight-term Democrat from San Diego who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee.
Democrats took control of both congressional chambers in January after 12 years of almost uninterrupted GOP rule. Seven months later, they had hoped to go home for summer break with a few more legislative victories added to a report card that Republicans have derided as short on accomplishments.
Although the Democrats have succeeded in raising the minimum wage, passing new ethics rules and enacting long-delayed recommendations of the 9/11 commission, they are laboring to assuage public frustration that they have not done more.
This week, the majority was racing to plug a hole in the Foreign Intelligence Services Act that the administration has complained is preventing efficient surveillance of terrorism suspects abroad.
House critics of the White House war on international terrorism hoped to vote on an amendment to a defense spending bill to close the controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
And House Democratic leaders wanted to pass sweeping energy legislation designed to move America away from dependence on fossil fuels by mandating cleaner energy sources for utilities.
Instead, they confronted the chaos as rebellious Republicans, alleging months of slights and injustices, ground the legislative process to a halt.
