The Senate This Week: March 6-10, 2006

Here’s the major things to watch in the Senate this week:

The full Senate may begin debate on the proposed lobbying reform bill – let’s see how the GOP squirms around that one and what kind of a façade they try to put on reform.

• The Appropriations Committee will have its hands full this week, considering both supplemental funding for “… additional resources to assist the Gulf Coast region in it recovery from hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005” while also holding hearings to look at Bush’s request for yet more money for the Iraq war. Why we care: Bush is asking Congress for another $72 billion for his illegal war in Iraq. If approved by both houses of Congress, we can add it to the more than $250 billion already spent – and then see if they hem and haw about a relatively insignificant amount of money to help Katrina victims right here at home.

• Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will resume hearings to examine Hurricane Katrina response and possible reforms. Why we care: What else will come out about what Team Bush utterly ignored leading up to this disaster?