The Week of May 5

Homeowner helper: The House gets serious about housing this week, lining up a bill that would cover up to $300 billion in federally backed mortgages for homes tipping into foreclosure. While they're at it, lawmakers may also okay a years-in-the-making bill to tighten oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two quasi-governmental agencies that are also in the mortgage backing business. The Senate, which already started on a small-fry housing bill, is expected to follow the House's lead in the upcoming weeks.

• see more on the housing fray

War spending: With the Iraq and Afghanistan wars due for a cash injection; the House could okay $180 billion this week to pay for the end '08 and start of '09. The president has asked for a "clean" bill without any home-spending add-ons, but passing up the chance to ride on the coattails of a must-pass war bill is too much to ask of lawmakers - so expect measures including: extensions for unemployment insurance, a sexual orientation hate crimes bill, and a hold on tightening Medicaid payments. Lawmakers may also revisit old scrimages over troop withdrawal timelines.

• see more on war spending and the battles over withdrawal

Farm slog: House and Senate leaders are crawling across the finish line to pass "the farm bill," the mammoth act which covers farm subsidies, conservation programs and food stamps. The only thing standing in their way is a potential veto from the president, who prefers fewer wealthy farmers to be eligible for subsidies and wants our international food aid programs to buy more food abroad (closer to the food's recipients).

• see more on what's in the farm bill

And more: The Senate hit a few bumps last week in getting an aviation bill off the ground; they'll try again this week. Senators may also vote on a flood insurance bill, while House members take up a bill to fight intellectual property piracy.

• see the federal aviation bill, HR 2881
• see the flood insurance bill, S 2284
• see the intellectual property bill, HR 4279

Down the Pike in '08

A few health bills that were in the works in '07 and could pop back up in '08 would: get health records onto electronic databases; negotiate down Medicare drug prices; keep drug companies from paying generics not to sell their drugs; rework the formula for Medicare payment rates for doctors; give the FDA the power to regulate cigarettes; and open up the reimportation of drugs.

For more of what was doing in '08 for health care see health bills 2008.