The mostly Democractic Southern California caucus, fresh from celebrating easy victories in safe districts, were bracing themselves Wednesday for an onslaught of anti-Obama bills that could for the first time come to fruition in the U.S. Senate.
After a mid-term election that gave the Republicans control of the Senate to add to their control of the House of Representatives, local members expect to see bills calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act and weakening of environmental regulations to get through both legislative bodies.
However, some said the Republicans, led by next Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, really don’t want to shoot down Obamacare because it would leave millions of constituents without health care, an outcome that could backfire.
As such, they expect more gamesmanship in which bills are moved forward but won’t make it past the 60-vote requirement to deflect a filibuster. Or certain bills may pass if Republicans get some Democrats to sign on, but these will not become law because they will be vetoed by the president.
“There will be a lot of pressure on the GOP leadership to have symbolic votes for their base. It is something they feel they have to do,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, whose district stretches from West Hollywood to Pasadena.
Environmental groups expect the flurry of anti-environment bills present in the House for almost three years to become a blizzard now that the Senate has reportedly chosen Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, to head the Environment and Public Works Committee.
Inhofe does not believe in a human impact on climate change and once compared the U.S. Environmental Protection agency to the gestapo.
Read more in Steve Scauzillo’s story ELECTION.