Look Ahead to the Week of May 6: FAA Deadline Nears
Both the House and Senate are in session this week.
Congress has less than a week to consider and vote on the bipartisan, bicameral agreement extending the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through fiscal year 2028. The current authorization expires on Friday, and the Senate will continue negotiations on an amendment package to the FAA bill. Senators have filed more than 70 amendments including non-germane issues on children’s online privacy, credit card swipe fees, broadband funding, and extending federal benefits for victims of nuclear radiation. Complicating the dynamic, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has already expressed opposition to “making the FAA bill a Christmas tree of unrelated items.” The House will have to consider the measure once it passes in the Senate. A short-term extension of FAA authorities may be necessary beyond Friday.
Additionally, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) are planning to force a vote on their motion to vacate that would remove Speaker Johnson from his position as House Speaker. However, the effort is poised to fail after Democrats announced they would help prevent Johnson’s ouster.
Administration
On Monday, President Biden will host a lunch with King Abdullah II of Jordan. Then on Tuesday, Biden will present the keynote address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Capitol Building. Later in the week, Biden will travel to Wisconsin and Chicago for campaign events.
House Side
On Monday, the House will meet to consider multiple bills under suspension.
- Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
- H.R. 6972– Securing Chain of Command Continuity Act, as amended (Rep. Kiggans – Oversight and Accountability). The bill would require notification to be sent to Congress and the President when the head of an executive agency who serves on the National Security Council can’t perform duties because of an illness, injury, or planned medical procedure.
- H.R. 7219 – Information Quality Assurance Act, as amended (Rep. McClain – Oversight and Accountability). The bill would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to update guidance for federal agencies to ensure the quality, objectivity, and integrity of information used to develop or issue rules.
- H.R. 7528 – Comment Integrity and Management Act of 2024, as amended (Rep. Higgins– Oversight and Accountability). The bill would require federal agencies to verify, to the greatest extent possible, whether electronically submitted public comments during the rulemaking process are mass and computer-generated comments.
- H.R. 7527 – Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, as amended (Rep. Connolly – Oversight and Accountability). The bill would require the Postal Service to track data on injuries and deaths from traffic crashes involving mail delivery contractors.
- H.R. 7525 – Special District Grant Accessibility Act (Rep. Fallon – Oversight and Accountability). The legislation would require the OMB to issue guidance to federal agencies to clarify how an agency recognizes a special district as a unit of local government for federal grant eligibility.
- S. 2073 – Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2024, as amended (Sen. Ossoff – Oversight and Accountability). The legislation would require the OMB to decide whether an agency’s recurring plan or report is outdated or duplicative.
- H.R. 5887 – Government Service Delivery Improvement Act, as amended (Rep. Khanna – Oversight and Accountability). The bill would require the OMB Director to appoint one of the office’s senior officials as the “federal government service delivery lead” to coordinate governmentwide efforts to enhance services provided by agencies.
- H.R. 7524 – GSA Technology Accountability Act, as amended (Rep. Sessions – Oversight and Accountability). The legislation would require the General Services Administration to annually report to Congress on projects funded by the Federal Citizen Services Fund and Technology Transformation Services projects funded by the Acquisition Services Fund.
- H.R. 272 – ASTRO Act (Rep. Babin – Oversight and Accountability). The legislation would offer astronauts returning from space federally funded transportation until cleared to drive.
Tuesday – Thursday, the House is scheduled to meet for legislative business and additional measures under suspension.
- Bills expected under a rule.
- H.R. 6192 – Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act (Rep. Lesko – Energy and Commerce). The measure would impose stricter requirements on the Energy Department when issuing energy efficiency standards for home appliances.
- H.J.Res. 109 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121. (Rep. Flood – Financial Services). The resolution would block a Securities and Exchange Commission bulletin requiring public companies to include digital assets they hold for clients on their balance sheets.
- H.R. 2925 – Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2024 (Rep. Amodei – Natural Resources). The measure would establish that mining companies do not have to prove there’s a valuable mineral deposit underneath land before obtaining approval to use the land.
- H.R. 7109 – Equal Representation Act (Rep. Edwards – Oversight and Accountability). The legislation would require the Commerce Department to include a citizenship question on future censuses, starting in 2030.
- Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
- H.R. 4143 – National Construction Safety Team Enhancement Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Lofgren – Science, Space, and Technology). The bill would authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology to investigate structures other than buildings when developing engineering standards.
- S. 870 – Fire Grants and Safety Act of 2023, as amended (Sen. Peters – Science, Space, and Technology). The bill would direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to streamline licensing and reduce fees for nuclear activities. It would also reauthorize firefighter assistance programs through fiscal year 2028.
Senate Side
On Tuesday, the Senate is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Donna Welton to be ambassador to East Timor. The upper chamber will also likely have votes on the amendments to the FAA bill.