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DC Download 10.16.2023

After weeks of brinkmanship, Congress passed a stopgap funding bill on Saturday, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown that would have furloughed tens of thousands of federal workers and disrupted popular services and programs. House lawmakers were slated to start a two-week recess today, but are instead staying in Washington, D.C. to consider appropriations bills to fund the legislative branch and the Energy Department. At the same time, some House Republican lawmakers are expected to file a motion to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Table of Contents:

 
 

House Floor

The House is expected to vote as early as Tuesday to select a new Speaker of the House.  

House Committee Highlights

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

Wednesday Hearings

Running on Empty: The Highway Trust Fund (Transportation & Infrastructure)

An Examination of the Iranian Regime’s Threats to Homeland Security (Homeland Security)

Strengthening Biosafety and Biosecurity Standards: Protecting Against Future Pandemics (Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic) 

Balancing Knowledge and Governance: Foundations for Effective Risk Management of Artificial Intelligence (Science, Space, & Technology)

Oversight of Federal Agencies’ Post-Pandemic Telework Policies: Part II (Oversight & Accountability) 

Safeguarding Data and Innovation: Building the Foundation for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (Energy & Commerce)

Thursday Hearings

Sounding the Alarm: Examining the Need for a Fiscal Commission (Budget)

Examining the Effects of DOL Rulemaking on America’s Job Creators (Small Business)

Investigating Pandemic Fraud: Preventing History from Repeating Itself (Ways & Means)

Protecting Kids: Combating Graphic, Explicit Content in School Libraries (Education & the Workforce)

Emerging Therapies: Breakthroughs in the Battle Against Suicide? (Veterans’ Affairs)

 

 

Senate Floor

H.R. 4366 – Making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes. (Sponsored by Rep. Carter (TX) / Appropriations Committee): The bill is a vehicle for a “minibus” package that includes the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture-FDA, and Transportation-HUD spending bills for Fiscal Year 2024 (3 of 12 spending bills). The bill would provide $155 billion for Military Construction-Veterans Affairs; $26 billion for the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, 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); and $99 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).   

Nominations

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

  • Jennifer L. Hall, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the District of Delaware

  • Julia Kathleen Munley, of Pennsylvania, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

  • Karla Ann Gilbride, of Maryland, to be General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for a term of four 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 

Name, Image, and Likeness, and the Future of College Sports (Judiciary)

How Community Development Financial Institutions Promote Housing and Economic Opportunity (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

 Wednesday Hearings

Preserving Due Process and the Rule of Law: Examining the Status of Our Nation’s Immigration Courts (Judiciary)

Examining the Implications of Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency for Clean Water Act Protections of Wetlands and Streams (Environment & Public Works)

Improving Care, Lowering Costs: Achieving Health Care Efficiency (Budget)

Medicare Advantage Annual Enrollment: Cracking Down on Deceptive Practices and Improving Senior Experiences (Finance)

The nomination of Jacob J. Lew, of New York, to be Ambassador to the State of Israel (Foreign Relations)

Thursday Hearing

Hearing to Examine the Department of Energy’s Decision-Making Process for Awarding Competitive Loans and Grants Funded Through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Energy & Natural Resources)

 

 

Speaker of the House

Two weeks ago, Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL-01) forced a vote to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Since McCarthy’s removal, the House of Representatives has stood still, yet the House Republican majority has not coalesced around a new Speaker-designate. House Republicans originally nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA-01), but he withdrew his nomination after he failed to get the needed support for a floor vote. Now, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) has emerged as the front runner, but he still lacks support from a large swath of House Republicans. Rep. Jordan can only afford to lose four GOP votes on the House floor to become Speaker, assuming all House Democrats are present and voting for Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Some lawmakers have floated expanding acting House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry’s (R-NC-10) powers. The House bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus last week outlined some issues that would need to be addressed in order to grant the Speaker Pro Tempore expanded powers, including foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel; an extension of the current continuing resolution funding the government until Jan. 11, 2024; and consideration of remaining House appropriation bills for Fiscal Year 2024. Leader Jeffries, meanwhile, said Sunday “there are informal conversations that have been underway” to create a bipartisan coalition government. A vote in the full House to elect a new Speaker is expected as early as Tuesday.

Government Funding 

Congress successfully passed a stopgap funding bill, otherwise known as a continuing resolution (CR), and avoided a government shutdown at the end of September. The temporary measure kept government funding levels the same as last year and set a new deadline to avoid a shutdown on November 17. However, with the Office of the Speaker of the House vacant, the House is unable to move a long-term spending bill. Now, Congress has one month to pass all 12 appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 or another stopgap as it faces a pre-Thanksgiving shutdown. So far, the House has passed four bills on a partisan basis, while the Senate has not passed a single bill. However, the Senate has moved every spending bill through committee with nearly unanimous support from both parties. 

Emergency Security Package

The White House is expected to request an emergency spending package that could include aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. This comes after Hamas’ attack on Israel earlier this month killed over 1,300 people. The Israeli military’s response has killed over 2,700 Palestinians in Gaza. While the White House has yet to release its latest supplemental request, President Biden in August requested $24 billion in aid for Ukraine, which Congress has not approved and many House Republicans oppose. Additionally, House Republicans are considering attaching additional funding for the southern U.S. border to a supplemental spending package, which many House Democrats oppose. Further complicating the situation: the House cannot pass legislation without a Speaker or action to empower acting Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry. 

 

 

October 27-Nov. 12: House is in recess

November: Native American Heritage Month

November 11: Veterans Day

November 17: Government funding expires

November 23: Thanksgiving Day

November 24: Native American Heritage Day