What's the holdup in Washington?

WASHINGTON -- Has the U.S. House become "Closed for Business?"

Some think so, pointing to critical bills that have died this spring and summer, with the federal farm bill perhaps most notable to Iowans. A long-sought immigration reform bill passed last month by the Senate also has been declared dead-on-arrival by Republicans in the GOP-controlled House. And there are continuing looming fights over student loan interest rates and raising the federal debt ceiling.

The inaction was so frustrating to Eastern Iowa's congressional delegation that Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, issued a news release before last week's weeklong congressional recess that declared House leaders have virtually hung a "Closed for Business" sign on the chamber.

"Since I came to Congress, I have worked on a bipartisan basis to move the priorities of Iowans forward and actually get something accomplished," Loebsack told The Gazette last week. "Today, the partisan fighting and the consistent political food fights have led to a near-standstill trying to get passed what people are demanding."

Like many of their Democratic colleagues, Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Bruce Braley blame the influx of Republican legislators who are driven more by ideology and politics than a sense of public service. Harkin signaled frustration that the Senate-passed farm bill and immigration bill have no chance of passage in the lower chamber.

"The House Republican caucus mistakenly believes that eliminating the ladder of opportunity for middle-class folks and giving the rich tax cuts will somehow jump start our economy. So it's really no surprise that they fail to take up common sense legislation passed by the Senate," Harkin said. "Senate Democrats are looking for a partner, but right now the House continues to choose ideology over legislating."

But at the University of Iowa, political science professor Timothy Hagle said blaming the House for Congress's dysfunction isn't wholly accurate. It was the Senate, after all, that couldn't pass the background check gun bill this spring or a student loan interest rate fix last month.

"One chamber is controlled by Democrats, one by Republicans. They're not on the same page and maybe not even the same chapter, so naturally bills die in the other house," Hagle said. "Some of the reasons are policy-based and some are political, and it's hard to separate them."

Traditionally, each house of Congress passes competing versions of a particular bill, and the differences are worked out in a conference committee, with the resulting product voted on again by each house. But that hasn't happened much this year, given the failures of both houses to initially pass legislation.

But the House also has a defender in GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, who said the Senate deserves just as much blame -- if not more. Like Hagle, he noted the Senate's recent legislative failures.

"I don't think one side of the Capitol can be blamed more than the other side. The House of Representatives has passed plenty of legislation that the Senate majority never brought up for a vote, including a budget during President Obama's entire first term," Grassley said. "Both the House and the Senate have an obligation to consider, debate and vote on legislation beyond the oversight responsibilities of each house, but each house determines its own agenda."

Braley, who is running for Harkin's seat in the Senate, also noted that the House has had some success, such as a bill reforming how the military handles sexual assaults.

But he agreed with Harkin and Loebsack that the chamber could be doing much more for Iowans.

"The House could get a lot more done if the people in it focused less on the next election and more on working together to solve tough problems. There's no question that politics is making it difficult to get things done in Congress, but progress on big issues can be made," he said. "In Iowa, if there's a problem, people ask, 'How can I help,' not, 'Are you a Democrat or Republican.' Congress could use a lot more of that kind of Iowa common sense."