This Week on Capitol Hill

Feast for farmers. House and Senate leaders have until the end of the week to knock out the final details of "the farm bill" - a massive crop subsidy, conservation and nutrition package that comes up for renewal every few years. Although fiscal conservatives were keen to cut down on farm hand-outs, the new farm bill looks as subsidy-filled as the old farm bill. The last minute negotiations (to meet a Friday deadline when the old bill runs out) are over how to divvy up - and fund - about $10 billion in extra support for farmer tax breaks, a disaster fund and food stamps.

• see more on what's in the farm bill

College credit. With the credit crunch reaching the student loan market, the House may act this week to give students an extra cash cushion - by raising federally backed loan limits $2000 and temporarily opening up tuition credit to families with faltering mortgages.

• see the bill, HR 5715

• see more on how DC's handling the credit crunch

You speak DC-ese? The House may also vote on a "plain language" bill, forcing federal agencies to use writing a non-bureaucrat could understand in all their forms and letters (but, sadly for cJ, not in their bills and regulations).

• see the bill, HR 3548

see the full House line-up

Later this Spring

Although Congress will have its work cut out trying to triage the ongoing mortgage and credit crises, it'll also spend the next couple of months looking at: more funding for the Iraq war; a patent reform bill; alternative energy tax breaks; a possible free trade agreement with Columbia and support for downsized workers; and intelligence wiretapping rules.

If you want to let your Congressfolk know where you stand on any of the issues above, you can email them through Congress.org, because...

Hey, it's your democracy too.

- teamJoe

Next update: April 21