Members of the House of Representatives are back in their districts this week for a scheduled district work period, while the Senate is scheduled to resume consideration of S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). On Monday afternoon, the Senate will return to work and is expected to vote on a motion to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment to CARA sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and then on a motion to invoke cloture on the underlying bill. The cloture motions are expected to achieve the necessary 60 votes to limit debate on the bill, setting up a mid-week vote on final passage of the bipartisan opioid and heroin addiction legislation.
Following completion of its consideration of S. 524, it is unclear what the Senate may take up next. Press reports previously indicated that the chamber might return to consideration of comprehensive energy legislation, S. 2012, which stalled in February over an amendment to provide emergency funding assistance to Flint, Michigan to assist with decontamination of the community’s drinking water system. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters filed stand-alone legislation to provide federal assistance to address water infrastructure issues, including the Flint situation, and have been working with Senate leadership to negotiate a path forward. This water-infrastructure bill, S. 2579, is expected to be taken up for consideration separately from S. 2012, although the timeline is still uncertain. Senator Peters told reporters last week that several senators had placed holds on the water-infrastructure legislation, preventing it from advancing, over funding offsets. One of those holds is by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), who has said he would object to a unanimous consent agreement that would allow the Senate to complete action on the energy bill and then turn to the water-infrastructure bill. And Democrats will not allow the Senate to return to the energy bill without a commitment that the bill to address the Flint situation will get floor consideration. Until the holds are resolved, the Senate does not appear able to return to the energy bill. Although there are other potential legislative items that are ready for floor consideration and could be brought up by the Majority Leader, no announcements have been made about what might follow CARA.
Also this week Senate committees continue their hearings with agency heads on President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget request. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will be appearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services regarding the proposed budget for the Department of the Treasury, while Secretary Jeh Johnson will be testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the Homeland Security Department’s budget submission. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz is scheduled to appear before the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee of Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has an active schedule this week. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch will be appearing before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning for a hearing on the Justice Department’s proposed budget and oversight of the Department. On Wednesday afternoon the Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights will review the enforcement of antitrust laws with Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, and Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, scheduled to testify. The full committee is also scheduled to hold a Thursday markup of S. 2390, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2015, along with the consideration of several pending nominations. Fireworks over Senate Republicans’ stated refusal to consider any Supreme Court nomination President Obama submits are likely at the Judiciary Committee’s first markup since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
Both the Finance and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees will be reviewing implementation of the Affordable Care Act on Thursday. Members of the Finance Committee will discuss the integrity of Healthcare.gov enrollment and operations with the Director of Audit Services at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Seto Bagdoyan, and Vicki L. Robinson from the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General’s Office. This hearing follows a July 2015 hearing held after the GAO issued a preliminary report that documented how its investigators were able to sign up fraudulently for coverage under the healthcare law and receive insurance subsidies. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will be examining the CO-OP loan program established by the Act. While the program was intended to create non-profit insurers to compete against for-profit insurance companies, it has largely failed in states across the country due to low enrollment and net losses. The CO-OP Programs in 12 states have closed, leaving the hundreds of thousands of people enrolled to find new health insurance coverage.
The details for these and other scheduled hearings in the Senate this week are included below:
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
House Committees
Commercializing on Innovation: Reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Part II
House Small Business – Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
Subcommittee Field Hearing
1 p.m., Lynn Massachusetts City Council Chambers, 3 City Hall Square, Lynn, MA
Senate Committees
Department of the Treasury Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
U.S. Central Command, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Special Operations Command
Senate Armed Services
Full Committee Hearing
9:30 a.m., G-50 Dirksen Bldg.
U.S. Forest Service Budget
Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 366 Dirksen Bldg.
State Department Reauthorization: Strengthening U.S. Diplomacy
Senate Foreign Relations
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 419 Dirksen Bldg.
Department of Homeland Security Budget
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 342 Dirksen Bldg.
U.S. Customs and Immigration Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
GAO/CBO Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Legislative Branch
Subcommittee Hearing
3 p.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.
Air Force Modernization
Senate Armed Services – Subcommittee on Airland
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 222 Russell Bldg.
Military Personnel Posture
Senate Armed Services – Subcommittee on Personnel
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 216 Hart Bldg.
U.S. Maritime Industry
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation – Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 253 Russell Bldg.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Senate Committees
Indian Health Service Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 124 Dirksen Bldg.
Defense Health Program Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Defense
Subcommittee Hearing
10:30 a.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.
Nominations
Senate Armed Services
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., G-50 Dirksen Bldg.
Pending Legislation/King Nomination (Education Secretary)
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Full Committee Markup
10 a.m., 106 Dirksen Bldg.
Cooperative Federalism: State Perspectives on EPA Regulatory Actions and the Role of States as Co-Regulators
Senate Environment and Public Works
Full Committee Hearing
9:30 a.m., 406 Dirksen Bldg.
Justice Department Oversight
Senate Judiciary
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
Agriculture Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., 124 Dirksen Bldg.
Energy Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 138 Dirksen Bldg.
Defense Security Cooperation/Assistance Programs
Senate Armed Services – Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 232A Russell Bldg.
Military Space Threats and Programs
Senate Armed Services – Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., SVC-217
Indian Country Budget
Senate Indian Affairs
Full Committee Hearing
2:15 p.m., 628 Dirksen Bldg.
Antitrust Laws Enforcement
Senate Judiciary – Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Senate Committees
Education Department Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m.
NASA Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
10:30 a.m.
VA Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
11 a.m.
HealthCare.gov: A Review of Operations and Enrollment
Senate Finance
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m.
Pending Nominations
Senate Foreign Relations
Full Committee Hearing
10:15 a.m., 419 Dirksen Bldg.
Review of the Affordable Care Act Health Insurance CO-OP Program
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Full Committee Hearing
9:30 a.m., 342 Dirksen Bldg.
Pending Legislation/Nominations
Senate Judiciary
Full Committee Markup
10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
Up in the Air: Examining the Commercial Applications of Unmanned Aircraft for Small Businesses
Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 428A Russell Bldg.
HUD Budget
Senate Appropriations – Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
2:30 p.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg.