Both the House and Senate are in session this week before they leave for a two-week recess that coincides with the July Fourth holiday.
The Senate will continue to focus on the confirmations of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, while Republicans in the upper chamber may also push for votes on repealing tighter rules on pistol braces and overriding Biden’s veto of a rollback on truck pollution rules. However, those efforts are unlikely to succeed because Biden has promised to veto any change to the rules on pistol braces and Republicans do not have the 60 votes necessary to roll back the truck pollution rules.
In the House, Republicans will consider bills to reverse new Federal Housing Finance Agency mortgage rules and to provide employers with more flexibility in their health care coverage options and a resolution condemning New York City for housing migrants in public schools.
Additionally, appropriators will continue the markup process for the annual government funding bills. The House Appropriations Committee plans to mark up its Homeland Security and Legislative Branch funding bills Wednesday, followed by its defense and energy and water funding bills on Thursday. In the Senate, appropriators will mark up the agriculture-FDA and military construction-VA bills.
House and Senate leaders are hoping to strike a bipartisan agreement on top-line allocations for each of the 12 annual funding bills in the coming weeks, which will have to fit within the debt limit spending deal’s caps of $886.3 billion for defense spending and $703.7 billion for nondefense funds. However, last week the House set their levels below the caps outlined in the debt limit deal in an attempt by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to placate the conservative Freedom Caucus. This discrepancy likely sets Congress on a path toward a serious clash and potential government shutdown in the fall.
Administration
On Tuesday, President Biden will meet with experts on artificial intelligence in San Francisco as his Administration pushes companies to develop new security and privacy safeguards. Later in the week, Biden will host India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.
House Side
On Tuesday, the House will meet to consider multiple bills under suspension.
- Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
- S. 30 – Fiscal Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act (Sen. Tester – Veterans’ Affairs). The legislation would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out major medical facility construction projects in fiscal year 2023.
- H.R. 3672 – To designate the clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Indian River, Michigan, as the “Pfc. Justin T. Paton Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic” (Rep. Bergman – Veterans’ Affairs).
- H.R. 1606 – Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Schneider – Small Business). The legislation would authorize for five years the Small Business Administration’s Boots to Business program, an entrepreneurial training program for service members.
Wednesday – Friday, the House is scheduled to meet for legislative business and to consider additional bills under suspension.
- Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
- H.R. 3797 – Paperwork Burden Reduction Act, as amended (Rep. Jason Smith – Ways and Means). The bill would permit health insurance providers to use an alternative method for furnishing health coverage reporting forms.
- H.R. 3801 – Employer Reporting Improvement Act, as amended (Rep. Adrian Smith – Ways and Means). The legislation would modify employer penalty assessments and reporting requirements under the Affordable Care Act’s coverage mandate.
- H.R. 4004 – United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act, as amended (Rep. Jason Smith – Ways and Means). The bill would permit Congress to approve the June 1 trade initiative between the United States and Taiwan and would also set congressional consultation requirements for future trade agreements.
- Bills expected under a rule.
- H.R. 3799 – CHOICE Arrangement Act (Rep. Hern – Ways and Means/Education and the Workforce). The bill would provide employers with more options to provide health insurance.
- H.Res. 461 – Condemning the use of elementary and secondary school facilities to provide shelter for people who are not admitted to the United States (Rep. Miller-Meeks – Education and the Workforce). The resolution condemns the use of public school facilities to provide shelter to immigrants lacking permanent legal status.
- H.R. 3564 – Middle Class Borrower Protection Act of 2023 (Rep. Davidson – Financial Services). The legislation would reverse recent increases by the Federal Housing Finance Agency to the fee structures of single-family home mortgages guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
- Veto Message to Accompany H.J.Res. 45 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Waivers and Modifications of Federal Student Loans” (Rep. Good – Education and the Workforce).
Senate Side
On Tuesday, the Senate will resume consideration of the nomination of Julie Rikelman to be a circuit judge for the First Circuit. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has also signaled that the Senate could vote on Natasha Merle to be a district judge for the Eastern District of New York and legislation that establishes a tax treaty with Chile.