Democrats face a legislative traffic jam that threatens to leave the party without a single high-profile domestic victory heading into the Memorial Day recess.

On issues ranging from energy policy to a lobbying overhaul, Democrats acknowledge that they must show as soon as possible that they can govern.

Most immediately, some Democrats see an immigration overhaul (S 1348) pending in the Senate as the party’s best hope for scoring a legislative victory.

“We as Democrats were elected to show we can get something done,” said Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del. “We need to govern from the center and put in place an immigration bill that is tough on enforcement but has a reasonable guest-worker program.

“We’ve been given a two-year test, and this is an opportunity.”

The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on whether to proceed on an immigration bill that enjoys the support of the White House, some Senate Republicans and Democrats in both chambers.

A bipartisan breakthrough would give lawmakers an accomplishment to tout when they go home for the parades, picnics and commencements that put them face to face with so many constituents this time of year.

Indeed, some Senate committee chairmen are coming under pressure to produce more domestic policy legislation in order to demonstrate clearly that Democrats can live up to their promises to be more productive than Republicans were when they controlled Congress.

For example, Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., a member of the Democratic leadership, has pressed Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., to take more decisive action to protect consumers from predatory mortgages.

Dodd has preferred to push the industry to self-regulate and set up industrywide principles to crack down on predatory lending. But by introducing his mortgage bill earlier this month, Schumer sent a message to Dodd, saying Congress must intervene with legislation rather than just hearings.

It’s only mid-May, but after the Memorial Day recess, June and July will be jammed with action on appropriations bills, and Democrats have promised to finish all spending bills before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

“I want this Congress to accomplish immigration reform, and we are running out of time to do it,” Majority Leader Harry Reid said May 11. “Our schedule is about to get crowded with appropriations and other bills that must be passed prior to October.”

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, D-Ill., who has sponsored an alternative version of immigration legislation (HR 1645), warned that it is too early to draw conclusions based on congressional activity to date. “Iraq takes the air out of the room,” he said. “I see this as, I’ve got two years before I get my grade. I wouldn’t want my grade to be based on the first pop quiz.”

In the two weeks before Memorial Day, the Senate has set a goal of doing what would, under normal conditions, be more than two weeks’ worth of work, including a water resources bill (HR 1495), the supplemental war spending bill (HR 2206) and the immigration bill. Senate leaders also had expressed interest in moving energy legislation by Memorial Day, although Reid, D-Nev., recently back away from that goal.

The House, meanwhile, takes up the time-consuming defense authorization bill (HR 1585) this week, as well as legislation (HR 1427) to overhaul regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Still, Louise M. Slaughter, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, insisted that the Democrats’ agenda was on track.“If anybody’s going to feel the pressure, it’s Republicans,” Slaughter said. “We’re doing a lot. It’s not even halfway through the year. I’m not feeling any pressure. All this stuff about ‘Democrats divided, Democrats conflicted’ — it’s crazy.”

The office of Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., released a statement last week with 14 bullet points of legislative accomplishments. The accomplishments, though, were weighted toward bills passed by the House but not enacted into law.

And Democrats have pointed out that they started the year by doing a spring cleaning of legislative items left behind by the GOP Congress, including an omnibus appropriations bill (PL 110-5).

So far this year, the Senate has taken 162 roll call votes, compared with 119 at this time last year and 121 through mid-May of 2005, when Republicans were in charge. The current Senate is on pace to hold as many votes as the chamber did in 1995. At this point in 1995, the newly minted Republican Senate had held 164 roll call votes.

Through May 11, the House had held 341 votes, more than double the number of votes held last year at this point. At this point in 1995, under Speaker Newt Gingrich, the House had taken 326 roll call votes.

“When you look at previous Congresses, I think we’re doing okay,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a member of the freshmen class that helped Democrats assume power.

However, that flurry of voting has produced only 26 public laws, 12 of which changed the name of a federal building, post office or national recreation area.

Others changed the makeup of the House Page Board (PL 110-2); reauthorized the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (PL 110-21); extended small-business programs (PL 110-4); and endorsed the expansion of NATO (PL 110-17).

“So far they’ve only delivered messages, not legislation,” said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C. “They’ve got to deliver something for their activists and donors.” He cited the immigration legislation and a reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law (PL 107-110) as the Democrats’ best hope.

“We’re on the verge on some very important pieces of legislation,” said Reid spokesman Rodell Mollineau. “Of course we want a signature accomplishment, but not because time is running out.”