Congress reconvenes Tuesday, and lawmakers have several key items on their agenda for 2015, which they hope to push through with a new Republican majority in the Senate.
Both Republicans and Democrats, including Senators Dan Coats, R-Indiana, Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana, have said they hope to achieve more bipartisan cooperation this year, although the two parties' leaders are already getting off to a bumpy start (recall immigration action and Sen. Mitch McConnell's "red flag in font of a bull" comment), and President Obama has said he is not afraid to use his veto pen.
The debate will largely center around three main agenda items, and Indiana's senators are particularly concerned about a fourth. Here's where they stand and what they hope to accomplish:
1. Keystone XL Pipeline
The Senate is considering approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, which would stretch from Alberta, Canada, to the Gulf of Mexico. The Senate failed to approve the project in November by one vote, but with the new GOP majority, lawmakers are confident it will pass.
COATS: Supports the measure. He says "it moves us toward energy independence."
DONNELLY: Supports the measure. In a statement regarding why he voted in favor of the pipeline in November, Donnelly said "the Keystone XL pipeline would promote economic competitiveness and energy security for our country" and called it a "commonsense project."
Here is Donnelly speaking on the Senate floor in favor of the pipeline.
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2. Immigration
President Obama's executive action provides millions of undocumented immigrants the opportunity to stay in the United States. Congress' most recent budget, however, only funds Homeland Security, which handles immigration, through the end of February, so lawmakers need to agree to another deal before then.
Both Donnelly and Coats said the president did not have the authority to make the executive order. Regarding next steps, Donnelly has emphasized the need for immigration reform, while Coats has focused largely on securing the border.
COATS: Step #1 is securing the border. "I don't think the American people are ready to accept any kind of immigration reform if they turn on their TV or look at YouTube and see thousands of people, illegals, crossing the border and saying you can't send us back. You need to get us into your schools and hospitals and benefits and so-on," Coats tells WFIU/WTIU.
DONNELLY: "By enacting legislation we can change the law to adequately secure our borders, modernize our visa system, and permanently address the millions of undocumented immigrants who are currently living in our country. To date, Congress has failed to do its job," Donnelly said as part of a joint letter with Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota, to House and Senate leaders.
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3. Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, has been a major point of contention since its passage in 2010. The House of Representatives has voted to repeal it several times, but the Democratic majority in the Senate has kept that measure from going anywhere.
COATS: Wants to repeal and replace Obamacare with "more sensible provisions." He explains, though, that Senate Republicans do not have enough votes to override a presidential veto, which Obama is expected to issue if the law were repealed. Therefore, Coats says he hopes to make some significant changes "piece by piece."
DONNELLY- "Take the parts of the bill that need to be fixed, let's fix it, and the parts that provide coverage, that makes people's lives better, let's keep."
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4. Medical Device Tax
This is a provision within the Affordable Care Act that is of particular interest to Indiana, which is home to several medical device manufacturers. The medical device tax is a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of medical devices and provides some of the money used to pay for other parts of Obamacare.
COATS: " ..the medical device tax should be repealed because it stifles innovation and kills jobs," Coats said in a statement relating to an IRS report on the tax. "Given this bipartisan agreement and the more than 20,000 Hoosiers who are directly employed by medical device manufacturers, this tax needs to be repealed immediately."
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DONNELLY: "Sen. Donnelly has been a consistent supporter of eliminating the medical device tax and has made clear that he will not stop working to repeal the medical device tax until the job is done," Donnelly's website reads. "The medical device industry is important to Indiana's economy, and thousands of Hoosiers rely upon the jobs the industry provides.
