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DC Download 04.24.2023

Lawmakers have a busy week in D.C. All eyes are on Speaker Kevin McCarthy as House lawmakers get ready to vote on the Republicans’ proposal to raise the debt limit, slash spending on key programs and services, and repeal large swaths of the Inflation Reduction Act. The House will also consider a resolution to repeal President Biden's two-year tariff suspension on solar panels and may consider a war powers resolution to withdraw armed forces from Somalia. Meanwhile, Senators are considering a veterans’ bill to allow cannabis research.

Table of Contents:

Join the Progressive Caucus Action Fund (PCAF) for a can't-miss Tools for Progress briefing, “Putting Workers First: Supporting Working People on the Job, in Congress, in the Courts,” on Thursday, April 27th at 1 pm ET. We’ll explore worker-led solutions with experts including:

Trina Blair, Disneyland Cast Member and Film Participant, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales
Abigail E. Disney, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, activist, philanthropist, and the host of the podcast "All Ears."
Nzingha Hooker, Policy Director for the National Black Workers Center
Samantha Sanders, Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy, Economic Policy Institute
Willie Burden Jr., Esq, In House Counsel, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Ross Brennan, Senior Legislative Affairs Associate, Progressive Caucus Action Fund

House Floor

The House will vote on six suspension bills from the Committees on Energy & Commerce 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.R. ___ - Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (Sponsored by Rep. Arrington; Budget Committee): The bill would raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion, or suspend it until March 31, 2024, whichever occurs first. The bill also cuts federal programs and services, blocks student debt relief, adds restrictions and work requirements to crucial social safety nets like SNAP, rescinds unspent COVID aid, and repeals parts of the Inflation Reduction Act.

H.J. Res. 39 - Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Commerce relating to "Procedures Covering Suspension of Liquidation, Duties and Estimated Duties in Accord With Presidential Proclamation 10414" (Sponsored by Rep. Posey; Ways and Means Committee): The resolution would repeal the two-year suspension of tariffs on solar panels from Southeast Asia originally implemented by the Biden Administration on September 16, 2022.

The House may also vote on H. Con. Res. 30 - Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove all United States Armed Forces, other than United States Armed Forces assigned to protect the United States Embassy, from Somalia (Sponsored by Rep. Gaetz; Foreign Affairs Committee): The resolution would direct the president to withdraw all US.. troops from Somalia, except for personnel guarding the US embassy, within a year of adoption.

House Committee Highlights

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

Wednesday Hearings

Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill (Agriculture)

Social Security Fundamentals: A Fact-Based Foundation (Ways & Means)

Oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Judiciary)

Reducing Health Care Costs for Working Americans and Their Families (Education & the Workforce)

Exposing the Environmental, Human Rights, and National Security Risks of the Biden Administration’s Rush to Green Policies (Energy & Commerce)

The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children (Judiciary)

The Path Toward a More Modern and Effective Congressional Research Service (House Administration)

Thursday Hearings

Fixing FISA: How a Law Designed to Protect Americans Has Been Weaponized Against Them (Judiciary)

Addressing America's Data Privacy Shortfalls: How a National Standard Fills Gaps to Protect Americans' Personal Information (Energy & Commerce)

American Confidence in Elections: State Tools to Promote Voter Confidence (House Administration)

Budget Hearing – Fiscal Year 2024 Request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Appropriations)

Director of the FBI Christopher Wray is testifying

Friday Hearing

Tribal Perspectives on Housing and Transportation (Appropriations)

Senate Floor

S.326 - VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023 (Sen. Tester): The bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a comprehensive research plan to study the effects of cannabis on veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or chronic pain.

Press Release (Sen. Tester)

Nominations

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

Joshua David Jacobs, of Washington, to be Under Secretary for Benefits of the Department of Veterans Affairs

Senate Committee Highlights

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

Wednesday Hearings

Nomination of Julie Su to serve as Secretary of Labor (HELP)

Building Consensus to Address Housing Challenges (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

Lessons Learned: 10 Years Since the Boston Marathon Bombings (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Examining the Effects of Increased Migration on Communities Along the Southern Border (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

The Assault on Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs America (Judiciary)

Under the Weather: Diagnosing the Health Costs of Climate Change (Budget)

A Review of the FY 2024 Budget and FY 2025 Advance Appropriations Requests for the Department of Veterans Affairs (Appropriations)

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis R. McDonough is testifying

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Request for the Department of Commerce (Appropriations)

Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo is testifying

Thursday Hearings

Impacts of Plastic Production and Disposal on Environmental Justice Communities (Environment & Public Works)

Oversight of the Credit Reporting Agencies (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

Church, State, & Russia’s War on Ukraine (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe)

Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court granted an emergency request by the Department of Justice to temporarily block a lower court ruling that had significantly restricted the use of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion. This means that mifepristone will remain legal as litigation continues in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is the most significant legal battle related to abortion that has reached the Supreme Court since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, which prompted conservative states across the country to enact abortion bans.

SCOTUS Watch: Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency

Following Earth Day last week, we are taking a look at Sackett v. EPA. In this case, the Supreme Court will decide what kinds of waters can and cannot be protected from unregulated pollution by the Clean Water Act. If the plaintiffs’ radical definition of a “waterway of the U.S.” is adopted, it would end protections for tens of thousands of bodies of water in the U.S., and because waterways are connected, severely limit the EPA’s ability to keep toxic contamination out of our waterways and drinking water. The plaintiffs are asking the court to adopt a position that guts the Clean Water Act and ignores how bodies of water actually function and interrelate in nature.