Both the Senate and House are in session this week.
House Republicans are returning from their annual retreat with plans to consider legislation that would counter President Biden’s climate policies as well as promote domestic energy production, which they are calling “Energy Week.”
Lawmakers are trying to finalize an agreement on the remaining six appropriations bills, set to expire on Friday, though it is reported that the only unresolved funding bill is for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Late last week, negotiators discussed the possibility of another continuing resolution to fund DHS through the end of September. Disagreements over border security policies continue to stall progress on reaching an overall agreement that includes the other five appropriations bills (Defense, Financial Services, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch, and State-Foreign Operations). Separately, according to White House sources, Republicans rejected a proposal late Sunday night that would have provided $1.5 billion for border security because it exceeded the “302(b)” allocation agreed to earlier.
The other five appropriations bills have effectively been agreed upon, after issues were resolved late in the weekend over a provision within the Department of State-Foreign Operations spending bill that would have banned funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) due to claims that some UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel.
The Senate may act on the House-passed bill that would require ByteDance—TikTok's Chinese parent company—to divest its ownership of the app within 165 days or face a ban in the United States. The House passed the legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support, although the Senate has been more cautious about the legal implications of the bill.
Administration
On Monday, President Biden issued an executive order to promote research standards within women’s health. The order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to research ways to employ artificial intelligence to advance women’s health research.
House Side
On Tuesday, the House will meet to consider multiple bills under suspension.
- Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
- H.R. 6306 – Embassy Construction Integrity Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Mills – Foreign Affairs Committee). The bill would require the State Department to avoid entering into construction contracts or leases for its embassies and consulates with entities owned or controlled by the Chinese government.
- H.R. 4723 – Upholding the Dayton Peace Agreement Through Sanctions Act, as amended (Rep. Wagner – Foreign Affairs Committee). The bill would require the president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals who threaten peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- H.R. 6610 – Passport System Reform and Backlog Prevention Act, as amended (Rep. Issa – Foreign Affairs Committee). The legislation would require the State Department to update the process for issuing passports by adopting technology that meets performance standards.
- H.Res. 149 – Condemning the illegal abduction of children from Ukraine to the Russian Federation, as amended (Rep. Wild – Foreign Affairs).
- H.R. 6602 – To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 relating to the review of the interagency dispute resolution process, as amended (Rep. McCormick – Foreign Affairs). The measure would authorize the Operating Committee for Export Policy to decide interagency disputes over export licenses and other matters that can’t be resolved by majority vote.
- H.R. 766 – Dr. Michael C. Burgess Preventive Health Savings Act, as amended (Rep. Burgess – Budget). The measure would require the Congressional Budget Office to estimate 30-year budgetary effects of preventative health-care measures at the request of committee leaders.
- H.R. 7520 – Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, as amended (Rep. Pallone – Energy and Commerce). The bill would bar companies from licensing, selling, or otherwise making available the sensitive data of U.S. residents to foreign adversaries, or companies controlled by foreign adversaries.
- H.R. 6260 – FOCUS Act, as amended (Rep. Chavez-DeRemer – Transportation and Infrastructure). The bill would require the General Services Administration to notify Congress of increases in the maximum cost or changes in the scope or size of a proposed public federal building project.
- H.R. 6261 – Impact of Crime on Public Building Usage Act of 2023 (Rep. Chavez-DeRemer – Transportation and Infrastructure). The bill would require the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the effects of increased crime in urban areas on federal buildings, including the rate of employees working in-person.
- H.R. 1836 – Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Dusty Johnson – Transportation and Infrastructure). The legislation would grant additional authorities to the Federal Maritime Commission to oversee ocean freight carriers and shipping exchanges, including those with ties to China.
- H.R. 7684 – Udall Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2024 (Rep. Ciscomani – Natural Resources). The legislation would reauthorize through fiscal year 2029 funding for the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation.
Wednesday – Friday, the House is scheduled to meet for legislative business.
- Bills expected under a rule.
- H.R. 1121 – Protecting American Energy Production Act (Rep. Duncan – Natural Resources). The measure would prohibit the President from declaring a national moratorium on hydraulic fracturing without authorization from Congress.
- H.R. 6009 – Restoring American Energy Dominance Act (Rep. Boebert – Natural Resources). The measure would require the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw its proposal to modify onshore oil and gas leasing rules. The proposed rule, among other things, would implement rate increases for oil and gas leases under the Democrats’ 2022 tax-and-climate law.
- H.Con.Res. 86 – Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the U.S. economy (Rep. Zinke – Ways and Means).
- H.R. 7023 – Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act (Rep. Rouzer – Transportation and Infrastructure). The measure would modify and update permitting processes and regulatory requirements under the Clean Water Act, including Section 402 (the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System), which addresses discharge of most pollutants, and Section 404, which specifically addresses the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States.
- H.Res. 987 – Denouncing the harmful, anti-American energy policies of the Biden Administration and for other purposes (Rep. Newhouse – Energy and Commerce).
- H.R. 1023 – To repeal section 134 of the Clean Air Act, relating to the greenhouse gas reduction fund (Rep. Palmer – Energy and Commerce). The legislation would repeal a $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and methane emissions charges created under the Democrats’ 2022 tax-and-climate law.
Senate Side
On Tuesday, the Senate will resume consideration of the nomination of Nicole Berner as a judge for the Fourth Circuit. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has also filed cloture on the nominations of Edward Kiel for the District of New Jersey and Eumi Lee for the Northern District of California.