As Congress moves into the last three legislative months before the midterm election, the legislative agenda is being shaped by the increasing sense that control of both the Senate and the House may be at stake.

The question of "control" of the 110th Congress has never been far from the surface, but recent polls have put Congress into "full election mode." And much of the reason is that issues like immigration, tax cuts, energy, and budget process reform are bombarding the Senate and House calendars (and the Senate and House floors) in the hope of curtailing the public's plummeting opinion about Congress.

Polling done by the Pew Center for the People and the Press found that the percentage of respondents who believed the 109th Congress had accomplished less than usual had risen to 41%--up from 27% in 2002 and 16% in 2000. Furthermore, the same poll found that 53% of those polled didn't want to see most lawmakers reelected--up over thirteen points from the two most recent polls. . . .

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