Now that only a lame-duck portion of it remains, we are now in a position to begin to assess the 109th Congress. Per the Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein article that my colleague Matt points out below: “with few accomplishments and an overloaded agenda, [the 109th Congress] is set to finish its tenure with the fewest number of days in session in our lifetimes, falling well below 100 days this year.” At the same time, as the Washington Post reports today, the House passed 165 bills… in the last week alone. That’s more than one for every threatened incumbent, and then some.

Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute testified at a Senate Finance Hearing on Tuesday. Essentially, Edwards argued that the federal government has a "spending problem." Increased spending, he said, is almost entirely responsible for the last 5 years of high deficits. Therefore, we ought to get to the root of the problem and cut back on spending to get the deficit under contol. This is the same tack that Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) has taken while advocating for drastic budget cuts.

Sen. Frist has promised to finish work on the Homeland Security and Defense appropriations bills before Congress goes on recess. Will he deliver? Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) promised lawmakers an aggressive work week Sept. 25, saying he is planning to use the next six days to finish critical appropriations bills, border security legislation, and measures dealing with President Bush's electronic surveillance program and military tribunals.....

Looks like Congress will pass the defense appropriations bill ($$) before the campaign recess.