The House of Representatives is not in session this week for legislative business. The Senate faces a shortened week, with the observance of the federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 16, and the inauguration of Donald Trump as President set for Friday, January 20.
The Senate returns to legislative business on Tuesday, when it is expected to vote on passage of H.R. 72, the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Access and Oversight Act. The legislation would amend federal law to clarify that the GAO has the authority to obtain certain records and information the agency needs in order to audit, evaluate, and investigate federal agencies and programs. H.R. 72 passed the House unanimously by a voice vote on January 4.
The Senate floor schedule for the remainder of the week is unclear. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) indicated last week he aims to have the nominations of President-elect Trump’s national security team confirmed on Inauguration Day, in addition to any other administration nominees that have been reported by their respective Senate committees. These votes can be expected to take place in the Senate on Friday afternoon following the inauguration ceremony. One can expect at least some Senate committees to meet during the week to report Cabinet nominees to the full Senate.
Throughout the week, Senate committees will continue their vetting of the President-elect’s Cabinet nominees. On Tuesday, Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT) will appear before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee regarding his nomination to serve as Interior Secretary. In addition, Betsy DeVos is scheduled to testify before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on her nomination to serve as Secretary of Education. The DeVos hearing may be contentious, with teachers unions opposing the nomination.
Four confirmation hearings are scheduled on Wednesday morning. Wilbur Ross will appear before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation over his nomination to the post of Commerce Secretary. The Environment and Public Works Committee will hold its hearing on the nomination of Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma Attorney General, to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. General Pruitt’s nomination is also shaping up to be one of the most contentious, in light of the nominee’s opposition to the Obama administration’s efforts to combat climate change. That opposition has included suing the agency he is nominated to lead. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is scheduled to testify before the Foreign Relations Committee regarding her nomination to serve as U.S. Representative to the United Nations. Finally, Representative Tom Price (R-GA) will provide testimony before the HELP Committee regarding his qualifications to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. With Republicans in both chambers having succeeded in securing early approval of the budget resolution laying the groundwork for Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Price’s hearing is also likely to become highly partisan as each party stakes out its positions on the repeal and what will replace President Obama’s signature achievement. Rep. Price is also likely to face questioning over potential reforms to the federal government’s signature entitlement programs, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, all administered by the agency he has been nominated to lead.
On Thursday, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold its hearing on former Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve as Secretary of Energy. As a candidate for the Republican nomination for president, Gov. Perry has argued for the abolition of the agency he has been chosen to lead. The Finance Committee has also scheduled its hearing on the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Treasury Secretary, and Democrats have made clear they intend to challenge Mnuchin on a variety of issues, including his background acquiring and running IndyMac (renamed OneWest) in the wake of the housing crisis. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), leader of the more liberal wing of Senate Democrats, has been challenging Mnuchin aggressively since he was nominated.
As widely noted, Democrats will have a very difficult time actually defeating any of the nominations because of a change they made to the Senate rules to end the filibuster for executive branch nominations. With only 50 votes (plus the tie-breaking vote of the Vice President) needed for confirmation and with Republicans holding 52 seats, Democrats will need to peel off three Republicans to defeat any nominee. The goal is not really to defeat the nominees but to draw stark differences early on in the new administration.
In addition to the nomination hearings, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management is scheduled to hold a hearing on methods for Congress and the new administration to help small businesses provide input on the formulation and propagation of federal regulations. During the 114th Congress, the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management held multiple hearings examining many aspects of the regulatory process and is poised to continue that work in the new 115th Congress.
The full details for these Senate events are included below:
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Senate Committees
Interior Secretary Nomination
Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Full Committee Hearing
2:15 p.m., SD-366
Education Secretary Nomination
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Full Committee Hearing
5 p.m., SD-430
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Senate Committees
Commerce Secretary Nomination
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SR-253
EPA Administrator Nomination
Senate Environment and Public Works
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-406
U.S. Representative to the U.N. Nomination
Senate Foreign Relations
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-419
Secretary of Health and Human Services Nomination
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-430
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Senate Committees
Energy Secretary Nomination
Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-366
Treasury Secretary Nomination
Senate Finance
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-215
Improving Small Business Input on Federal Regulations: Ideas for Congress and a New Administration
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs – Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-342
Intelligence Matters
Senate Select Intelligence
Full Committee Briefing (CLOSED)
2 p.m.