Obama looks to Congress

Obama looks to Congress to push ahead reforms.

US lawmakers face a slew of key debates before the August recess, urged by President Barack Obama to back his ambitious agenda with bills on healthcare reform and global warming, and the confirmation of a new Supreme Court judge.The US Congress was back in session Monday after a week's recess with a packed program in the coming weeThe Obama administration is counting on the House of Representatives to push through sweeping legislation on energy and the environment, as well as lay out the foundations for a comprehensive reform of the healthcare system, something that has bedeviled successive administrations for decadesks before the month-long summer vacation starts on August 3.Obama has also appealed to the Senate for a swift confirmation of his Supreme Court nominee judge Sonia Sotomayor, to replace retiring Justice David Souter.Sotomayer, 54, is set to head to Capitol Hill this week to meet with lawmakers, launching a confirmation process that could see her become the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court, and only the third ever woman top justice.Barring shock revelations, Sotomayor, who was raised in New York public housing by a single mother, is likely to win easy Senate confirmation, experts have said.Obama's Republican critics have so far shown only a meager appetite for a fight. And Republicans worry that overly hostile questioning could further alienate the party from Hispanic voters, who flocked to Obama in the 2008 White House race.In a letter sent Monday to Senate leaders and top members of the panel, former law clerks to Sotomayor offered their "enthusiastic and whole-hearted support" for her nomination saying her three-decade career "uniquely qualifies her for this position."Early work on the draft bill will be undertaken by the Senate Health Committee, which is chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy, a Democratic stalwart who has spent much of his career pushing for an overhaul of the healthcare system.

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