|
The House and Senate are in session this week.
The House Republican Steering Committee expects to vote on Tuesday for a new Chair of the Appropriations Committee after Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas) announced she was stepping down effective immediately. The current Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee is the leading candidate to replace Granger. In a Dear Colleague letter, fellow longtime appropriator Robert Aderholdt (R-Ala.) is pushing for a delay in selecting a new Appropriations lead as he also vies for the position and pushes for additional reforms to the spending process.
Many expect a motion from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to dismiss the impeachment case against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Upon formally receiving the articles of impeachment from the House on Wednesday, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and President pro-tem will swear in senators on Thursday, leading to the potential motion from Majority Leader Schumer, which would require a simple majority to pass, effectively ending the trial quickly. In the House, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) will begin to work on Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act FISA reauthorization. The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (H.R.7320) would reauthorize and change Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It remains unclear if the bill will make it to the floor or pass once there, Congress has until April 19 to reauthorizing spying authority. Funding for Ukraine and Israel remains an outstanding item of consideration for Congress to decide on.
The House will consider fifteen bills under suspension of the rules, including A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 6655), which amends and reauthorizes the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act (H.R. 6492), which improve recreation opportunities on, and facilitate greater access to, Federal public land; and the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (H.R. 524), which amends the Coastal Barrier Resources Act to create an exemption for certain shoreline borrow sites. The Senate will vote this week on the nominations of Susan Bazis to be a U.S. District Judge for Nebraska, Robert White to be a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, and Ann Allen to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Utah.
For the remainder of the week, the House will hold several hearings, including multiple Appropriations Subcommittee hearings for the Government Accountability Office, The Government Publishing Office, The Congressional Budget Office, the Department of Education, the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The House will also hold an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on “I Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Telehealth Services.” The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on “The National Wildlife Refuge System at Risk: Impacts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Proposed BIDEH Rule;” and a Ways and Means Committee hearing on “Expanding on the Success of the 2017 Tax Relief to Help Hardworking Americans.” The Senate will hold several committee hearings, including several Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearings for the Air Force and Space Force, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Forest Service, and Department of Homeland Security; the Armed Services Committee will hold a budget hearing for the Department of Defense; a Judiciary hearing on “Examining the the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program”; and an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on “Examining the state of air quality monitoring technology.”
| 
