On first day, Congress gets right to work -- and fighting

WASHINGTON -- The 108th session of Congress was sworn in Tuesday with pledges of cooperation and comity as Republicans took control of the House and the Senate.

But Democrats immediately showed that they do not intend to let the GOP easily get its way.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., temporarily held up legislation to extend unemployment benefits in an unsuccessful effort to expand the $7-billion package and provide help for 1-million more people.

In a victory for new Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the Senate eventually overcame those objections and agreed to extend a program granting 13 weeks of federal unemployment benefits to workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state aid through June 1.

Frist opened the session of the Senate, with its 11 new members, saying he hoped that achievement and a cooperative spirit would mark the new session.

"At this point in time, our nation faces truly historic challenges -- winning that war against terror, boosting economic growth, boosting job creation, addressing multiple health care challenges that now have become crises and ensuring our agenda is inclusive of all Americans," Frist said.

Yet Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., the Democratic leader, quickly chose words of aggression to frame his party's approach to its new minority status. "We have very, very critical battles to fight," Daschle said.

In the House, Dennis Hastert of Illinois was assured of re-election as speaker, given the Republican majority. The formal vote, along party lines, was 228-201 over the new Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi of California, the first woman to be nominated by her party for the post.

Three conservative Southern Democrats -- Reps. Ralph Hall and Charles Stenholm of Texas and Ken Lucas of Kentucky -- voted "present," registering their philosophical differences with Pelosi, who has a liberal background. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., voted for John Murtha, D-Pa.

House Republicans quickly pushed through new ethics rules making it easier for lobbyists to send food to congressional offices, such as boxes of pizza and buckets of chicken when staffers are working on bills late at night. The changes also allow charities to give lawmakers free travel and lodging at resorts.

The changes, approved on a party-line vote of 221-203, caught Democrats by surprise and ignored the House Ethics Committee's warnings against skirting the spirit of ethical conduct. The change in the perishable food provision, dubbed the "pizza rule" by protesting Democrats, legalized the very type of scheme mentioned in the panel's warning in November.

Republicans had imposed a series of strict ethics rules after taking over the House in 1995, and the changes prompted derisive comments from Democrats. "Republicans believe they have such a safe and security majority they want to undo some of the significant strides," said Rep. Martin Frost, D-Texas.

Republicans also pushed through a series of rules changes, including one that sets up a new committee to oversee the newly created Department of Homeland Security. Another lifted the four-term limit on House speakers that Republicans imposed when they took power in 1995 after 40 years in the minority.

In the Senate, the tensions between the two parties also surfaced quickly as Democrats vigorously fought to add a provision assisting an extra million jobless Americans.

Republican senators said they had crafted the bill in order to gain fast approval in the House and avoid a longer interruption in benefits for people who had exhausted their state aid as of Dec. 28. "We should stop playing politics out of the box with this very important issue," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., said.

Senators approved the original plan by voice vote. The House is expected to pass the bill today and send it to President Bush for his signature.

Some of the newcomers to the Senate said they were surprised by how quickly the partisan tone surfaced. "If this is the way things are going to be, I should bring my Bible every day," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.

With Republicans holding just 51 seats, Frist will need the help of Democratic senators to push the president's agenda through Congress and avoid filibusters and other tactics the minority can use to kill Republican proposals. Though the margin is tight in the House, too, that chamber's rules favor the majority party.

With a presidential election next year, the congressional session is certain to have its share of fights. Congress is expected to spend much of its time this year wrangling over President Bush's economic stimulus plan and tending to national security. Republicans and Democrats also are divided on proposals such as arctic oil drilling and how to provide older Americans with prescription drug coverage.

At the same time, Senate Republicans say they will try to confirm as many conservative judges as possible, but Democrats say they plan to closely scrutinize the judicial nominees.

Bush resubmitted 31 judicial nominations, including two that were blocked last year by the Democratic-controlled Judiciary Committee: U.S. District Judge Charles Pickering of Mississippi and Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen.

-- Information from the Chicago Tribune, New York Times and Associated Press was used in this report.

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