Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, the DC Download, to get updates on what’s happening on the Hill, what we are reading, key issues to watch, and progressive analysis and tools.

DC Download 04.15.2024

Following the Iranian attack on Israel over the weekend, House lawmakers this week are considering bills that support Israel, condemn the attack, and strengthen sanctions against Iran. At the same time, Biden Administration officials continue to defend the president’s 2025 budget before committees.

Table of Contents:

Today is Tax Day! As we fight to make sure that billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes, we’re also sharing the good news that the Direct Pay tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act mean that tax-exempt entities like local governments, schools, and nonprofits can get cash from the IRS after they build renewable energy projects like wind, solar, and EV vehicles.

Use our toolkit to help spread the word about Direct Pay with talking points, sample social media, graphics, and more.

House Floor

The House will vote on 12 suspension bills from the Committees on Financial Services, Ways & Means, and Foreign Affairs. 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. Res. __ – Condemning Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel (Sponsored by Rep. Kean / Foreign Affairs Committee): The resolution condemns the April 13 Iranian attack on Israel.

H.R. 6046 – Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act (Sponsored by Rep. Clyde / Judiciary Committee): The bill requires the Department of State to designate Ansarallah as a foreign terrorist organization and the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions with respect to Ansarallah and any foreign person who is a member, agent, or affiliate of, or owned or controlled by Ansarallah.

H.R. 6323 – Iran Counterterrorism Act (Sponsored by Rep. Kim (CA) / Financial Services Committee): The bill would require Iran to have ceased support for acts of international terrorism as a condition for the President to waive secondary sanctions imposed in connection to the country. The bill also provides for a congressional review process for national security interest waivers of these sanctions.

H.R. 4691 – Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act (Sponsored by Rep. Self / Foreign Affairs Committee): The bill would establish a procedure for Congress to review any action by the president to terminate, waive, or modify sanctions on Iran. The bill would require the president to report to Congress on any planned sanctions relief and gives Congress the power to approve or disapprove of the administration’s action within a review period.

H.R. 5947 – To provide for the rescission of certain waivers and licenses relating to Iran, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Pfluger / Foreign Affairs Committee): The bill would block Iran from accessing the $6 billion in funds that the Biden Administration unfroze on September 11, 2023.

H.R. 4639 – Fourth Amendment Is Not for Sale (Sponsored by Rep. Davidson / Judiciary Committee): The bill would require the government to get a court order to force data brokers to disclose data. The bill also stops law enforcement and intelligence agencies from buying data on people in the U.S. and about Americans abroad, if the data was obtained from a user’s account or device, or via deception, hacking, violations of a contract, privacy policy, or terms of service.

Additional legislative items related to security supplemental appropriations are possible.

House Committee Highlights

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

Tuesday Hearings

How the Border Crisis Impacts Public Safety (Oversight & Accountability)

ERISA's 50th Anniversary: the Path to Higher Quality, Lower Cost Health Care (Education & the Workforce)

Examining How Improper Payments Cost Taxpayers Billions and Weaken Medicare and Medicaid (Energy & Commerce)

Academic Malpractice: Examining the Relationship Between Scientific Journals, the Government, and Peer Review (Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic)

Agency Audit: Reviewing CFPB Financial Reporting & Transparency (Financial Services)

Liberty, Tyranny, and Accountability: Covid-19 and the Constitution (Judiciary)

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of Veterans Affairs (Appropriations)

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough is testifying

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of Justice (Appropriations)

Attorney General of the United States Merrick Garland is testifying

A Review of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security (Homeland Security)

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is testifying

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Transportation Security Administration (Appropriations)

Administrator of TSA David Pekoske is testifying

The Biden Administration's 2024 Trade Policy Agenda with United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai (Ways & Means)

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is testifying

Wednesday Hearings

Defending America from the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Warfare, Part I (Oversight & Accountability)

Three Years Later: D.C. National Guard Whistleblowers Speak Out on January 6 Delay (House Administration)

Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University's Response to Antisemitism (Education & the Workforce)

The Despotic Duo: Russo-Iranian Cooperation and Threats to U.S. Interests (Foreign Affairs)

Silent Weapons: Examining Foreign Anomalous Health Incidents Targeting Americans in the Homeland (Homeland Security)

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of the Interior (Appropriations)

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is testifying

Budget Hearing - Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of Labor (Appropriations)

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su is testifying

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of Defense (Appropriations)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is testifying
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. is testifying

Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Health and Human Services Budget (Energy & Commerce)

Secretary of Health & Human Service Xavier Becerra is testifying

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2025 Request for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Appropriations)

Acting Director of ICE Patrick Lechleitner is testifying

Thursday Hearings

Assessing Solutions to Secure America's Offshore Energy Future (Natural Resources)

Oversight of the Biden Administration’s Pause on Liquified Natural Gas Exports (Oversight & Accountability)

Nominations

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

Ramona Villagomez Manglona, of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be Judge for the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for a term of ten years

Senate Committee Highlights

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

Tuesday Hearings

Challenges in Preserving the U.S. Housing Stock (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

The Long-Term Care Workforce: Addressing Shortages and Improving the Profession (Aging)

Oversight of AI: Election Deepfakes (Judiciary)

Legacy of Harm: Eliminating the Abuse of Solitary Confinement (Judiciary)

A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Appropriations)

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is testifying

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services (Appropriations)

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is testifying

Hearing to Examine the President’s Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Energy for Fiscal Year 2025 (Energy & Natural Resources)

Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm is testifying

The President’s Fiscal Year 2025 IRS Budget and the IRS 2024 Filing Season (Finance)

Commissioner of the IRS Daniel I. Werfel is testifying

Wednesday Hearings

Modernizing U.S. Alliances and Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific (Foreign Relations)

Examining Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture: Firsthand Accounts (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Feeding a Healthier America: Current Efforts and Potential Opportunities for Food is Medicine (HELP)

An Update on Foreign Threats to the 2024 Elections (Intelligence)

The President’s 2024 Trade Policy Agenda (Finance)

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is testifying

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Justice (Appropriations)

Attorney General of the United States Merrick Garland is testifying

Thursday Hearings

Oversight of Federal Housing Regulators (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

The FY25 DHS Budget: Resources and Authorities Requested to Protect and Secure the Homeland (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is testifying

A Possible Israel Supplemental

Over the weekend, Iran launched a military operation against Israel, titled "Operation True Promise” that involved a combination of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The Iranian attack was in direct retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on April 1, 2024 that targeted the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria and killed senior Iranian officers. Following the attack, House Republican Leadership vowed to consider legislation that supports Israel and holds Iran accountable. The House is now expected to consider a slate of bills that condemn the Iranian attack and establish new sanctions on the country. Additionally, some lawmakers are pushing House Speaker Johnson to consider the Senate-passed $95 billion foreign aid package that pairs funding for Israel with aid for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Gaza, among other things. The bill, which has stalled in the House, has faced strong opposition from parts of the Republican Conference, with some members threatening to oust Speaker Johnson should he consider the bill. Instead, Speaker Johnson has signaled that some members were pulling together a new package. House Republicans have already tried and failed to pass a standalone Israel aid bill in February.

House GOP vows Israel vote after Iran attack amid bipartisan pressure on aid package (Politico)
Iran attacks add urgency to stalled congressional aid effort for Israel (The Washington Post)
Mike Johnson signals he won't put Senate supplemental on the floor despite increased pressure (NBC News)

SCOTUS Watch: City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson

On April 22, 2024, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, a case that challenges the legality of criminalizing people experiencing homelessness. At the heart of the case is whether the City of Grants Pass can enforce ordinances that fine or arrest homeless individuals for sleeping in public spaces when no adequate shelter options are available. This legal challenge follows the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that such punitive measures violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Advocates argue that criminalizing basic life-sustaining activities, such as sleeping, lacks proportionality and humanity. Conversely, city officials assert that the ability to enforce these ordinances is crucial for maintaining public order and safety. The Supreme Court's decision could fundamentally reshape how cities nationwide address the visibility of homelessness in public spaces.