It is a national disgrace that the strongest supporters of tougher mine safety concede that it will likely take another disaster before lawmakers will be willing to buck Big Coal and pass desperately needed safety legislation.
If the FEC is not willing to act, lawmakers will be on their own come the next election.
The timing of the expected announcement is important, since the House began a two-week recess today, and during their time at home, undecided lawmakers will be the target of intense lobbying and advertising campaigns from both sides.
In this video, CNBC asks Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat from Illinois who chairs the House subcommittee on domestic and international monetary policy, about what lawmakers will be listening for.
The failure of that agreement and the president's veto tonight mean that Congress will remain in session at least through the end of this week and greatly increase the likelihood that lawmakers will be called back in a lame duck session to complete work on the budget after the election.
And AACR's Retzlaff says his group now thinks lawmakers will be ready to move forward with some type of moonshot funding, whether through a standalone bill or by adding the funding to the spending bills.
David Cloud reports that lawmakers will be told of "gross mismanagement and fraud," according to prepared remarks for Maj.
Lawmakers will be under siege from legions of constituents, and the markets, demanding an end to stalemate.
And with the newly energized movement promising to watch closely, the incoming lawmakers will be very leery of seeming to be co-opted by the Congressional establishment, even if it is the leadership of their own party.
Mr. Gephardt's timing is significant because the House is in a two-week recess, and during this last extended time at home before the vote, uncommitted lawmakers will be the target of lobbying from both sides.
