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DC Download 03.11.2024

Lawmakers avoided a partial government shutdown last week when they passed a spending package before the first of two funding deadlines. But with less than two weeks until the March 22 deadline, appropriators are still negotiating details for the remaining funding bills. Meanwhile, the House is teeing up votes this week to denounce the Biden Administration’s immigration policies, reduce federal office space, and ban TikTok. At the same time, administration officials are defending President Biden’s 2025 budget before Senate committees.

Table of Contents:

Money in Politics

Most of us believe that all Americans, no matter who we are or where we’re from, deserve an equal voice and an equal say in our democracy. But for too long, billionaires and greedy corporations have rigged the system in their favor, at the expense of everyone else. Megacorporations and billionaires spend their infinite funds pitting us against each other based on where we live or what we look like. They peddle lies during campaigns and lobby politicians for tax giveaways and kickbacks while some politicians use insider info to get rich in the stock market.

We must unite across race and place, as we have done in our past, to unrig the rules of our democracy so we have a government of, by, and for the people. We need to stop big money from corrupting our elections, ban Members of Congress from trading stocks, end partisan gerrymandering, guarantee automatic and same-day voter registration, restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, and make early voting and voting at home accessible for all.

Fast Facts:

83 percent of voters support legislation to “crack down on political corruption in both parties and strengthen our democracy,” and a majority support a small donor matching program for Congressional elections.
92 percent of voters in battleground states said cracking down on political corruption was a top priority for them in 2020.
Between 2010 and 2020, outside groups spent $4.5 billion in our elections. The top ten donors alone spent $2 billion on candidates, parties, and other political groups.
In 2010, outside groups represented only 8.5 percent of the total election spending, but by 2018, their share jumped to 23 percent.

For more messaging tools and resources, visit the Progressive Playbook.

House Floor

The House will vote on 12 suspension bills from the Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and Energy & Commerce. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.

The House will also consider the following bills, subject to a rule:

H.R. 6276 – Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies Act of 2023 (Sponsored by Rep. Perry / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee): The bill would require the General Services Administration to reduce the office space of federal agencies that don’t maintain a 60 percent utilization rate of their buildings.

H.Res. 1065 – Denouncing the Biden administration’s immigration policies. (Sponsored by Rep. De La Cruz / Judiciary Committee): The resolution would denounce the Biden administration’s immigration policies and urge it to use its authorities to curtail the number of migrants crossing the southwest border by entering into asylum cooperative agreements with other countries, using expedited removal authority, and detaining migrants who aren’t admissible to the U.S., among other actions.

House Committee Highlights

A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:

Tuesday Hearings

U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in North and South America (Armed Services)

The Power Struggle: Examining the Reliability and Security of America’s Electrical Grid (Oversight & Accountability)

Mission Critical: Restoring National Security as the Focus of Defense Production Act Reauthorization (Financial Services)

Safeguarding Student-Athletes from NLRB Misclassification (Education & the Workforce)

Three Years Later: Assessing the Law Enforcement Response to Multiple Pipe Bombs on January 6, 2021 (House Administration)

Enhancing Access to Care at Home in Rural and Underserved Communities (Ways & Means)

Addressing Real Harm Done by Deepfakes (Oversight & Accountability)

Hearing on the Report of Special Counsel Robert K. Hur (Judiciary)

Special Counsel Robert K. Hur is testifying

Wednesday Hearings

Bureaucratic Overreach or Consumer Protection? Examining the CFPB's Latest Action to Restrict Competition in Payments (Financial Services)

Too Critical to Fail: Getting Software Right in an Age of Rapid Innovation (Armed Services)

Nominations

The Senate this week has teed up votes on the following nominees:

Jasmine Hyejung Yoon, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Virginia
Sunil R. Harjani, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois
Melissa R. DuBose, of Rhode Island, to be United States District Judge for the District of Rhode Island

Senate Committee Highlights

A full list of this week’s Senate committee hearings, including confirmation hearings, can be found here. Notable committee hearings include:

Monday Hearings

Worldwide Threats (Intelligence)

Tuesday Hearings

To receive testimony on Global Security Challenges and U.S. Strategy (Armed Services)

American Made: Growing U.S. Manufacturing Through the Tax Code (Finance)

Examining Proposals to Address Housing Affordability, Availability, and Other Community Needs (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

The Right Side of History: Protecting Voting Rights in America (Judiciary)

Youth Apprenticeships: Building Partnerships, Strengthening Career Pathways (HELP)

The Fiscal Situation of the United States (Joint Economic Committee)

Administration of Upcoming Elections (Rules & Administration)

The President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal (Budget)

Director of the OMB Shalanda Young is testifying

Thursday Hearings

A Nation on Fire: Responding to the Increasing Wildfire Threat (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Workers Should Benefit from New Technology and Increased Productivity: The Need for a 32-Hour Work Week with No Loss in Pay (HELP)

U.S. Strategy in the Pacific Islands Region (Foreign Relations)

The President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Health and Human Services Budget (Finance)

Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is testifying

Nominations

The Senate this week has teed up votes on the following nominees:

Jasmine Hyejung Yoon, of Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Virginia
Sunil R. Harjani, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois
Melissa R. DuBose, of Rhode Island, to be United States District Judge for the District of Rhode Island

Senate Committee Highlights

A full list of this week’s Senate committee hearings, including confirmation hearings, can be found here. Notable committee hearings include:

Monday Hearings

Worldwide Threats (Intelligence)

Tuesday Hearings

To receive testimony on Global Security Challenges and U.S. Strategy (Armed Services)

American Made: Growing U.S. Manufacturing Through the Tax Code (Finance)

Examining Proposals to Address Housing Affordability, Availability, and Other Community Needs (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

The Right Side of History: Protecting Voting Rights in America (Judiciary)

Youth Apprenticeships: Building Partnerships, Strengthening Career Pathways (HELP)

The Fiscal Situation of the United States (Joint Economic Committee)

Administration of Upcoming Elections (Rules & Administration)