Lawmakers have returned to Capitol Hill for a so-called “lame duck session” following the midterm break. Congress will be in session until a new congressional term begins in January. On Monday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced he would back down on opposing a ban on earmarks. The Tea Party movement has rallied Republican lawmakers to oppose the practice. Speaking on the Senate floor, Democratic Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania urged lawmakers not to remain idle until the new Congress begins.

Sen. Arlen Specter: “And I begin by suggesting that our session does not necessarily have to be a 'lame duck,' that we have the capacity to respond to the many pressing problems of the country, as we choose. We can spread our wings, and we can fly.”