U.S. Congress starts break with no gas price fix

By Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress began a five-week recess on Friday, leaving unresolved how to ease the surge in gasoline prices that is certain to be an issue until the November elections and beyond.

Lawmakers will resume wrangling over how to bring down the cost at the pump and move the United States toward energy independence when they return from vacation on September 8.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has agreed to a bipartisan request for a summit of energy experts in September to try to end the legislative stalemate.

Yet any solution may be put off until after the elections on November 4, when Democrats are expected to expand their majority in Congress and may also win control of the White House.

"There are some (Democrats) who think things are going to look a lot different in the makeup of the next Congress and 'Why don't we just wait until we are more advantaged?'" said Stephen Hess, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.

Soaring energy prices are a top concern for American voters, along with record home foreclosures, rising unemployment and an overall sluggish economy.

In recent weeks, Democrats and Republicans have blamed each other for failure to find common ground on comprehensive energy legislation.

With President George W. Bush leading the charge, Republicans have pushed for expanded drilling while Democrats have sought to rein in oil speculators who have been blamed for helping fuel the increase in gas prices.

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, chastised Democrats for starting the recess without passing an energy bill.

"It's my hope that they'll come back in September chastened by their constituents and ready to work with Republicans on tackling the energy crisis facing this nation," Blunt said.

'WE NEED TO ACT NOW'

Even after the House formally adjourned shortly before noon, about 50 Republicans remained in the chamber for about five hours to make their case on energy.

They drew applause, cheers and standing ovations from a crowd of several hundred people who included staff members, tourists and, at one point, two rows of Boy Scouts.

Afterward, Republican leaders again called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, to bring lawmakers in for a special session on energy in August. By then, however, most Democrats and Republicans were long gone.

Brendan Daly, a Pelosi spokesman, said Republicans "should go home to their districts and explain their record of obstructing common-sense proposals to address the pain at the pump being felt by American consumers and businesses."