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DC Download 09.12.2023

House lawmakers return from their summer break today to a packed agenda and tight deadlines. With only 18 days to fund the government, both the House and Senate are focusing on advancing appropriations bills before the September 30th deadline.

Table of Contents:

Care Economy

For too long, a handful of special interest-backed politicians and greedy corporations have put profits ahead of our families. They hand out tax breaks to the wealthiest few instead of funding what our families need, like affordable, quality child care.

Almost $24 billion in COVID emergency federal aid for child care and preschool expires at the end of September. Couple that with Republicans’ proposal to kick 50,000 children out of the Head Start program and we are flirting with a child care crisis that threatens our entire economy.

Senate Democrats have proposed a $16 billion annual increase in funding for child care and early learning programs to address the approaching child care cliff. Join the Progressive Caucus Action Fund and urge your member of Congress to cosponsor the Child Care Stabilization Act for children, families, and our economy!

House Floor

The House will vote on seven suspension bills from the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources. 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. 4365 – Making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Calvert / Appropriations Committee): The bill would provide $826.4 billion in discretionary funding for Fiscal Year 2024 to the Pentagon and for defense-related activities, $28.7 billion more than the previous year. Some notable provisions include prohibiting travel allowances for service members to access abortion services; banning activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; prohibiting activities that promote “critical race theory”; and barring the use of funds for gender-affirming surgeries or hormone therapies.

Bill Report (Appropriations Committee)
Bill Summary (Appropriations Committee)

H.R. 1435 – Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act (Sponsored by Rep. Joyce (PA) / Energy and Commerce Committee): The bill would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from granting waivers that enable states to limit the sale or use of new gas-powered cars.

Bill Report (Energy and Commerce Committee)

House Committee Highlights

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

Tuesday Hearings

Evolving Threats: Security and Safety in a Post-9/11 World (Homeland Security)

Wednesday Hearings

The Future of Automated Commercial Motor Vehicles: Impacts on Society, the Supply Chain, and U.S. Economic Leadership (Transportation & Infrastructure)

Republican “Border” Hearing #746 (Homeland Security)

Keeping the Lights On: Enhancing Reliability and Efficiency to Power American Homes (Energy & Commerce)

Republican “Border” Hearing (Education & the Workforce)

Children are Not for Sale: Examining the Threat of Exploitation of Children in the U.S. and Abroad (Judiciary)

Republican Hearing on Iran (Oversight & Accountability)

Thursday Hearings

Iran’s Escalating Threats: Assessing U.S. Policy Toward Iran’s Malign Activities (Foreign Affairs)

Implementing Basel III: What’s the Fed’s Endgame? (Financial Services)

Terrorist Entry Through the Southwest Border (Judiciary)

Oh Doctor, Where Art Thou? Pandemic Erosion of the Doctor-Patient Relationship (Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic)

Children are not for Sale – Global Efforts to Address Child Trafficking (Foreign Affairs)

How are Federal Agencies Harnessing Artificial Intelligence? (Oversight & Accountability)

The Inflation Reduction Act: A Year in Review (Oversight & Accountability)

Senate Floor

S. 2127 - Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (Sponsored by Sen. Murray (D-WA) / Senate Appropriations Committee): The bill would provide $155 billion for Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) for Fiscal Year 2024.

Bill Report (Senate Appropriations Committee)
Bill Summary (Senate Appropriations Committee)

S. 2437 - Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (Sponsored by Sen. Schatz (D-HI) / Senate Appropriations Committee): The bill provides $99 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Fiscal Year 2024. Specifically, the bill funds DOT at $28.4 billion and HUD at $70 billion.

Bill Report (Senate Appropriations Committee)
Bill Summary (Senate Appropriations Committee)

S. 2131 - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (Sponsored by Sen. Heinrich (D-NM) / Senate Appropriations Committee): The bill would provide almost $26 billion in funding for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration for Fiscal Year 2024, and includes full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and $6.3 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Bill Report (Senate Appropriations Committee)
Bill Summary (Senate Appropriations Committee)

Nominations

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

Tanya J. Bradsher, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Jeffrey Irvine Cummings, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois

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

Oversight of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

Gary Gensler, Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is testifying

Housing Supply and Innovation (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature (Judiciary)

Oversight of A.I.: Legislating on Artificial Intelligence (Judiciary)

The Need for Transparency in Artificial Intelligence (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Wednesday Hearings

Examining the Effects of Extreme Heat and Weather on Transportation (Environment & Public Works)

The PGA Tour-LIV Deal: Examining the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund’s Investments in the United States (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Unlocking America's Potential: How Immigration Fuels Economic Growth and Our Competitive Advantage (Budget)

Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Judiciary)

Thursday Hearing

Governing AI Through Acquisition and Procurement (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Government Funding

The federal government runs out of money at the end of the month and Congress has not passed any of the 12 appropriations bills necessary to avoid a government shutdown through both chambers. So far, the House has only approved one bill that would fund military construction projects and support the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and is expected to consider funding for the Department of Defense later this week. Similarly, the Senate has failed to advance any bills so far, but is expected to consider three bills this week: Agriculture-FDA, MilCon-VA, and Transportation-HUD. All 12 appropriations bills or a continuing resolution must pass both the House and the Senate and be signed by the president before October 1 to avoid a government shutdown. However, some Republican lawmakers have vowed to vote against any government funding bill, including a continuing resolution, unless the House approves stronger border enforcement, stops the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice and FBI, rescinds “woke” policies in the military, and launches an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.