Frustrated House still waiting for Senate action on 420 bills

The House ran another legislative lap around the Senate in September, widening the gap in the number of bills the chambers have passed this Congress to more than 400. With only a lame-duck session remaining, the House since January 2009 has passed 420 bills that have sat on the Senate shelf. The gulf in productivity has led to an escalation in tensions between the chambers, culminating in a veritable staring contest last month over the expiring George W. Bush-era tax cuts. House Democratic leaders have frequently griped at the disparity, and the caucus chairman, Rep. John Larson (D-CT), said that the slow pace of legislating in the Senate, where bills can be held up by the filibuster and other rules, "infuriates" members of the House.