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This section is a Q&A slot featuring interviews with members of Congress and sometimes with senior aides, selected lobbyists and policy experts. The Hill will ask the questions, but we welcome your input; to help us shape the discussion please send your comment.
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The Hill : Congress Blog Editor Chris Good recently sat down with Mike Sandler, associate editor in charge of The Hill's Senate coverage, to talk about the energy debate and what's on the agenda when the Senate comes back from recess.

The Hill : See a partial transcript of the interview below.

Chris Good : Everybody's talking about energy right now--what can we expect from them in terms of issues they'll be working on when they get back?

Mike Sandler : Well right now what it seems is going to happen is that the Republican senators are going to continue to block debate on other legislation until Harry Reid gives them a vote on expanding offshore drilling. That seemed to slow things up right before the August recess, and I think we're going to see a lot more of that in September.

Chris Good : What are some other things that Democrats would like to work on?

Mike Sandler : On the agenda before August recess was to have a debate and vote on the defense authorization bill, and I think they want to bring that back. They have a resolution that would offer an apology for slavery that I think they want to come through the Senate but maybe not on a roll call vote -- maybe they just want to have a voice vote on that. And they have to do a continuing resolution before October 1s,t if they're not going to do any appropriations bills, to fund the federal fovernment for next

Chris Good : If they can't break the energy impasse, what are some things that senators are going to have in the backs of their heads, maybe making them wary of bringing the government to the point of a shutdown?

Mike Sandler : Well right before the recess, a number of senators, including Jim DeMint and John Thune, indicated that could be another standoff over the C.R. if Democrats dont allow a vote on expanding oil drilling. But I'm sure in the backs of their minds, I'm sre a lot of these Republicans remember the 1990s when there was a government shutdown and the public didnt feel too good about that. So I think in particular you might see Mitch McConnell hesitating to do that because he is in a reelection race and th

The Hill : CBS Foreign Correspondent Kimberly Dozier recently talked with The Hill’s Erica Wisniewski about the injuries she sustained covering the war in Iraq and how she has used her experience to educate Congress on recovering from war injuries.
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