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DC Download 09.23.2024

The government faces a possible shutdown in seven days and it looks like Congress is poised to kick the funding can down the road until the end of the year. Lawmakers this week are expected to consider a stopgap bill to extend government funding until December 20, 2024, assuring another funding fight before the end of the 118th Congress.

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The Progressive Caucus Action Fund just released the Progressive Playbook 2024: State Level Wins! This project highlights policy wins and the successful campaigns that made them possible at the state level, with the goal of being a how-to guide for achieving policy wins elsewhere. Some of the issues highlighted in the Playbook include environmental justice legislation in Minnesota, universal school meals in Massachusetts, and the maternal and infant cash prescription program in Michigan.

As we look ahead to progressives’ next possible governing moment, we have a chance to learn from visionary legislation won at the state level, and share success stories you can model where you live. You can read about these successful campaigns here!

House Floor

The House will vote on 38 suspension bills from the Committees on Oversight & Accountability, Energy & Commerce, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Natural Resources, House Administration, Education & the Workforce, Veterans’ Affairs, and Science, Space, & Technology. 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. 3334 – STOP CCP Act (Sponsored by Rep. McClain / Foreign Affairs Committee): The bill would require the president to impose sanctions against China’s top political leaders if they develop policies that violate Hong Kong’s autonomy or increase aggression toward Taiwan. Individuals who contribute to political oppression or human rights violations, including against Uyghur Muslims, would also be sanctioned.

H.R. 8205 – Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act (Sponsored by Rep. Fitzgerald / Judiciary Committee): The bill would amend the federal criminal statute dealing with insurance-related crimes to include corporate, for-profit, and nonprofit entities that post bail for defendants.

H.Res. 1469 – Ensuring accountability for key officials in the Biden-Harris administration responsible for decision making and execution failures throughout the withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Sponsored by Rep. McCaul / Foreign Affairs Committee): The resolution would condemn Biden Administration officials, including President Biden, Vice President Harris, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and State Department Secretary Antony Blinken, for the Afghanistan withdrawal.

An item related to government funding is expected to be considered.

House Committee Highlights

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

Tuesday Hearings

Implementation of Boeing's Comprehensive Action Plan (Transportation & Infrastructure)

Republican Hearing on FAFSA (Education & the Workforce)

Reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): States’ Misuse of Welfare Funds Leaves Poor Families Behind (Ways & Means)

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

An Assessment of the State Department’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan by America’s Top Diplomat (Foreign Affairs)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is testifying

Oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission (Financial Services)

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

Wednesday Hearings

Hearing on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government)

Regulatory Recipe for Economic Uncertainty: The Endless Basel Endgame and an Onslaught of Hurried Rulemaking Undertaken by the Administration (Financial Services)

Avenues to Success: Examining Workforce Training Programs for Employees (Small Business)

Kitchen Table Economics: How Failed Biden-Harris Policies Continue to Hurt Consumers (Oversight & Accountability)

Innovative Teacher Preparation: Properly Equipping America's Educators (Education & the Workforce)

Republican Hearing on the Border (Oversight & Accountability)

Thursday Hearings

The Ongoing Investigation of the Butler, Pennsylvania Security Failure: The Secret Service’s Reliance on State and Local Law Enforcement (Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump)

Given the Green Light: Open Border Policies and Threats to Law Enforcement (Homeland Security)

Examining Puerto Rico’s Electrical Grid and the Need for Reliable and Resilient Energy (Natural Resources)

Foreign Policy, Interrupted: How Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Blunt America’s Impact Abroad (Foreign Affairs)

Vanishing Independence: How FHFA’s Political Agenda Endangers Homeowners and Taxpayers (Financial Services)

Trafficked, Exploited, and Missing: Migrant Children Victims of the Biden-Harris Administration (Homeland Security)

Republican Hearing on Medicare (Oversight & Accountability)

United States Postal Service's Role in 2024 Election Mail Readiness (Appropriations)

Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service Louis DeJoy is testifying

Senate Floor

H.R. 1555 - Corporal Michael D. Anderson Jr. Post Office Building (Sponsored by Rep. McClintock / Oversight & Accountability Committee): The bill would rename a post office in Modesto, CA as the "Corporal Michael D. Anderson Jr. Post Office Building." The bill would also act as a vehicle for a possible House-passed stopgap bill that would extend government funding until December 20, 2024.

Nominations

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

Rose E. Jenkins, of the District of Columbia, to be a Judge of the United States Tax Court for a term of fifteen 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

‘When the President Does It, that Means It’s Not Illegal’: The Supreme Court’s Unprecedented Immunity Decision (Judiciary)

Chaos and Control: How Trump Criminalized Women’s Health Care (Finance)

Safeguarding the Homeland: Examining Conflicts of Interest in Federal Contracting to Protect America’s Future (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Cyberspace Under Threat in the Era of Rising Authoritarianism and Global Competition (Foreign Relations)

Why Is Novo Nordisk Charging Americans with Diabetes and Obesity Outrageously High Prices for Ozempic and Wegovy? (HELP)

Russia’s Shadow War on NATO (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe)

Wednesday Hearings

The Costs of Inaction: Economic Risks from Housing Unaffordability (Budget)

Sexual Assault in U.S. Prisons Two Decades After the Prison Rape Elimination Act (Judiciary)

FAA Oversight of Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Reading the Room: Preparing Workers for AI (HELP)

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

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

Thursday Hearings

Examining the Public Health Impacts of PFAS Exposures (Environment & Public Works)

Government Funding

Last week, a Republican stopgap funding bill, otherwise known as a continuing resolution (CR), failed on the House floor by a 220-202 vote. The bill would have extended government funding until March 28, 2025 and required proof of citizenship in order to register to vote in federal elections. Now, with only one week left before the government faces a shutdown, the House is set to consider a clean CR without any contentious riders that would extend government funding until December 20, 2024, setting up a new showdown before the end of this Congress. The stopgap bill also includes additional funding for the Secret Service and would require the agency to cooperate with the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump’s investigations. Once the House passes the CR, the Senate, which has readied a legislative vehicle for the bill, is expected to quickly follow suit. Lawmakers and the president have until September 30 to pass and sign the bill into law to avoid a government shutdown.