| Agenda of the Congressional Leadership
Rohit Kumar
J. Scott DeFife
Two Hill staffers offered an overview of the legislative priorities of both political parties during this Congress. Rohit Kumar discussed leading issues for Republicans and Scott DeFife discussed issues that are important to Democrats.
Social Security reform will be the most important issue in the 109th Congress, according to Kumar, a senior advisor to the Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). He said Sen. Frist's intentions are to pursue
a solution to Social Security's long-term problems, rather than legislation that would offer a short-term solution.
Kumar mentioned that some members of Congress favor dealing with Social Security and tax reform together—as a way of bringing more people into an important debate. Tax simplification is a high priority for many members, but several specific tax issues, including reform of the alternative minimum tax (AMT), are likely to be addressed. Originally designed as a way to ensure that very wealthy Americans pay some income tax, the AMT is now affecting many in the middle class.
 Scott DeFife also suggested that Social Security and tax reform may be jointly addressed, especially in the House. He noted that Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) has suggested as much in some of his public statements.
DeFife warned that the campaign to privatize Social Security is part of a broader campaign to attack public institutions, “public institutions that serve them,” he said. Such proposals will, he suggested, gradually decrease the level of government involvement in the lives of Americans, but also lessen the amount of support available to those who need it the most.
The president's budget, DeFife suggested, has already been declared “dead on arrival” in the minds of many Democrats. However, DeFife also suggested that many of the proposals in President Bush's FY 2006 budget will fail to gain the support of many Republicans as well.
Rohit Kumar joined the Republican Leader's office in June 2002 to handle Banking/Financial Services, Finance Committee and Homeland Security issues.
Scott DeFife is a senior advisor to Rep. Steny Hoyer( D-MD), the House minority whip. He has spent much of his career on Capitol Hill working on pension issues.
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