Déjà Vu All Over Again? (Beltway Buzz, February 9, 2018)

The Beltway Buzz is a weekly update summarizing labor and employment news from inside the Beltway and clarifying how what's happening in Washington, D.C. could impact your business.

Déjà Vu All Over Again? It is perhaps fitting that last Friday was Groundhog Day, as this week we relived the same government funding battle that we went through just a few weeks ago. Thankfully, because the shutdown card has already been played, and the resulting hand was a bust for both political parties, our fearless leaders in Congress only shut the government down for five hours or so. But in the early hours of this morning, President Trump signed a bill to keep the government running until March 23, when this debate may occur all over again. However, the bill also includes a broader two-year budget agreement that will allow Congress to return to regular order with regard to appropriations bills. Not included in the temporary funding measure is any resolution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) matter, likely because—as the Buzz has noted—the decision to rescind the program has been enjoined by a federal district court, making March 5 a non-deadline. The Buzz is hopeful that this deal will put an end to "government by continuing resolution," and will free up precious legislative time for consideration of other matters, such as confirming nominees to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). We'll have more on this in future editions of the Buzz.

A House "Filibuster"? Senate rules permit unlimited "extended debate" on the Senate floor, otherwise known as a "filibuster," which requires 60 votes to invoke "cloture" to end. Such filibusters can be debilitatingyou know, like Jimmy Stewart's collapse during his one-man filibuster in the classic movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." In the House, however, the rules are different, and the length of debate is carefully regulated by the House Rules Committee. Under special circumstances, first exercised by former House Minority Leader John Boehner, exceptions can be made. Such was the case this week when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi engaged in a one-person "filibuster" on the House floor for eight hours in support of young undocumented immigrants, i.e., "Dreamers" and opposition to any budget deal that did not address DACA or other immigration reforms. Her extended remarks were the longest in over a century in...