It’s a make-or-break week for monumental, historic immigration reform. What exactly that reform looks like we can’t tell you – Dem and GOP senators are still patching together a bill to can win over support from both sides of the aisles – but it’s likely to offer a road to legit status for today’s illegals as well as guestworker plan (that may or may not offer a path to permanent status). It could also shift family immigration policy, giving automatic entree to spouses and non-adult children alone.

With less fanfare, the Senate is slated to also vote on a $13 billion water works bill (S 1248). If immigration reform gets an early kibosh, the Senate could instead turn its attention to energy reform.

The House could see some last minute policy making on Iraq as it brings up the defense authorization bill; even though the House passed a war funding bill last week that nudges the issue of withdrawal, reps may try to slap on amendments to this week’s authorization bill to force an earlier end to the war.

Also on the House’s plate is a bill to tighten the reins on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two quasi-governmental companies that back mortgages for low income households – and that, some say, are skating on thin financial ice.

Finally, Congress may wrap up a $2.9 trillion budget resolution for fiscal year ’08 this week, making a blueprint that’ll be used by spending committees to guide their final budgets.

Photo: cicilie, Creative Commons, Flickr