Look Ahead to the Week of July 24: Spending Negotiations Continue

Both the House and Senate are in session this week before leaving for their August recess.  

The Senate will continue working through its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which will differ starkly from the House version, perhaps most controversially in that it is expected to leave in place current Defense Department policy to allow servicewomen paid leave if they need to travel to access abortion care due to local regulations. The upper chamber is hoping to pass its bill before leaving for the August recess, and negotiations over the differences will begin in earnest when Congress returns in September. It is expected that the end product will look more like the Senate version, since the procedural rules in that chamber require bipartisan support to reach 60 votes. The House version was passed on a party -line vote.

Over in the House, the leadership plans to vote on the Agriculture-FDA and Military Construction-VA spending bills this week. Those bills passed out of committee on party lines after significant disagreements over funding levels and policy riders.  

Additionally, appropriators will continue consideration of the remaining annual government funding bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee is set to mark up its the Defense, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS-Education, and Interior-Environment spending bills this week. It is becoming increasingly likely that Congress will have to pass a stopgap measure before federal funding runs out on September 30 to keep the government running and give negotiators more time to reach a compromise. The House and Senate are writing bills with substantially different top-line numbers, which is almost certain to cause difficulty in negotiating later this year.  

Administration

On Thursday, President Biden will host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House for a bilateral meeting. On Friday, he will travel to Maine for an event promoting the Administration’s economic agenda.  

House Side

On Tuesday, the House will meet to consider multiple bills under suspension.  

• Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
  • H.R. 3203– Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Barr – Foreign Affairs). The legislation would grant the president expanded powers to sanction Chinese entities over fentanyl trafficking.
  • H.R. 1684 – Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Meeks – Foreign Affairs). The legislation would require the State Department to submit a report to Congress about ties between criminal gangs and political and economic elites in Haiti.
  • H.R. 1176 – Taiwan International Solidarity Act (Rep. Connolly – Foreign Affairs). The measure would encourage the federal government to use its position in international organizations to deter China’s attempts to block Taiwan’s participation in international bodies.
  • H.R. 3395 – U.S. Supply Chain Security Review Act of 2023 (Rep. Auchincloss – Transportation and Infrastructure). The measure would require the Federal Maritime Commission to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to evaluate how foreign ownership of marine terminals at the 15 largest U.S. container ports affects U.S. economic security.
  • H.R. 3399 – Soo Locks Security and Economic Reporting Act of 2023 (Rep. James – Transportation and Infrastructure). The measure would require the Transportation Department, in coordination with the Defense Department and Coast Guard, to report to Congress on security deficiencies and the supply chain and economic effects of a potential failure of the Soo Locks.
  • H.R. 682 – Launch Communications Act, as amended (Rep. Soto – Energy and Commerce). The legislation would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue new rules to streamline the process for granting authorizations to access certain radio frequencies for commercial space launches and reentries.
  • H.R. 1338 – SAT Streamlining Act, as amended (Rep. Rodgers – Energy and Commerce). The legislation would update the FCC’s process for licensing the use of certain radio spectrum bands for Earth and space stations in a satellite system and for grants of access to U.S. markets.
  • H.R. 1345 – NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (Rep. Curtis – Energy and Commerce). The bill would establish a new office of policy development for internet and communications technologies in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
  • H.R. 2544 – Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act (Rep. Bucshon – Energy and Commerce). The measure would permit the Health Resources and Services Administration to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or private entities to operate the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
  • H.R. 752 – Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Eshoo – Energy and Commerce). The measure would require the Commerce Department’s SelectUSA program to solicit comments from state-level economic development organizations to develop recommendations on how it can increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related production.
  • H.R. 1501 – UAS Act, as amended (Rep. Guest – Homeland Security). The bill would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from using, financing, or entering into a contract to purchase an unmanned aircraft system made by a foreign adversary.
  • H.R. 3254 – First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act (Rep. Payne – Homeland Security). The bill would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a new process for reviewing certain grant applications for purchasing equipment or systems that don’t meet or exceed voluntary consensus standards.
  • H.R. 4470 – Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Laurel Lee – Homeland Security). The legislation would extend for two years the Homeland Security Department’s authority to set anti-terrorism standards for chemical facilities.

• Bills expected under a rule.
  • 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 (Rep. John Carter – Appropriations).
  • H.R. 4368 – Making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes (Rep. Harris – Appropriations).

• Possible Consideration of S.J.Res. 9 – A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Lesser Prairie-Chicken; Threatened Status with Section 4(d) Rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment and Endangered Status for the Southern Distinct Population Segment” (Sen. Marshall – Natural Resources).

• Possible Consideration of S.J.Res. 24 – A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Northern Long-Eared Bat” (Sen. Mullin – Natural Resources).

Senate Side

On Tuesday, the Senate will continue voting on amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 2226), including those that would require reporting of American investments in some foreign national security technology and prohibit the approval of agriculture-related sales to foreign adversaries.