The Democrats complain that the Republicans often bring bills to the floor without hearings or a committee markup, and sometimes they form special ''task forces'' outside the committees to craft legislation. A fundamental part of the process . Republicans do their own partisan finger-pointing. They argue that the Democrats, during their long control of Capitol Hill, did not bother to try to reauthorize many programs, either, because they were confident that they could get the necessary waivers. It's always easier to create a program than it is to defend one,'' said one Senate Republican aide.
Committees feel there are other priorities.
As the Meals on Wheels case suggests, fear of being dragged down by controversy seems to be a major reason Congress isn't bothering much with renewing federal programs. The slim Republican majorities of recent years have made it very difficult for the leaders to build consensus behind reauthorization legislation for hot-button programs. Now these programs remain in existence purely through the annual appropriations process. And after all the huffing and puffing, the bills, in all likelihood, might only pass one chamber. Structural changes that are needed in Superfund continue not to be made,'' said George Baker, a partner in the law firm of Williams and Jensen and executive director of Superfund '95, an industry coalition.