Both chambers are set to return on Monday after a weeklong recess, kicking off a six-week session of legislative business in Washington, D.C. The issues expected to dominate this work period include the confirmation hearing for Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court and negotiations over how to keep the government funded beyond the scope of the current continuing resolution, which is set to expire on April 28.
During this first week back at the Capitol, Congress will continue to focus on much of the same business of the previous two months. The Senate remains engaged on the confirmation of President Trump’s Cabinet appointees, while the House concentrates on federal regulatory reform and passage of resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn regulations issued by federal agencies in the final months of the Obama Administration. In addition, on Tuesday night, President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address, his first speech to Congress. That speech is likely to dominate the news and the rhetoric in Congress for the balance of the week.
The Senate is scheduled to return on Monday for a confirmation vote on the nomination of Wilbur Ross to serve as the Secretary of Commerce. Immediately following the disposition of that nomination, senators are scheduled to hold a cloture vote on the nomination of Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) to serve as Secretary of the Interior. A final confirmation vote on Rep. Zinke can be expected later in the week. Majority Leader McConnell has also filed cloture on the nominations of Dr. Ben Carson to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve as Secretary of Energy. With only a simple majority needed to invoke cloture and cut off debate on these nominations and with no Republicans known to be opposing them, cloture should be invoked and votes on the nominations can be expected later in the week.
Members of the House of Representatives are also scheduled to return to legislative business on Monday, when they will consider six bills, four of which have been reported from the Natural Resources Committee, under suspension of the rules.
On Tuesday, the House will begin its consideration of three additional measures related to federal regulatory reforms. First, members will consider H.R. 998, the “Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome” (SCRUB) Act of 2017, which would establish a commission to review existing federal regulations and identify those that should be repealed in order to reduce the costs and burdens to the economy of regulations that can no longer be justified. The commission would then be responsible for reporting to Congress on which regulations should be rescinded; Congress would be afforded a process for eliminating rules identified by the commission. The bill would also require agencies to repeal a rule or set of rules identified by the commission whenever it proposes to implement a new rule. In addition, the legislation would require agencies to review any new regulation within 10 years of its promulgation and determine whether to retain the rule. A previous version of this bill passed the House in 2016. Consideration of H.R. 998 will be subject to a rule.
As noted, on Tuesday night, the President will deliver the State of the Union address. Following the President’s speech, former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear will give the Democratic response. The remainder of the week is likely to see partisan rhetoric swirling around the President’s initial address to Congress.
During the remainder of the week, members will also consider H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017, which would require greater transparency in federal agency communications about pending regulatory actions. The legislation would direct each federal agency to make information regarding its regulatory actions publicly available in a searchable format. That information would have to include the date a regulation was proposed, its current status, an estimate of when the regulation would be final, and a brief description of the regulation. In addition, agencies would be required to track the details of all public communications about pending regulatory actions. It would also prohibit agencies from using any of the public communications to lobby for public support of their rules. A previous version of this bill passed the House in 2016. Consideration of H.R. 1004 will be subject to a rule.
Finally, members will consider H.R. 1009, the OIRA (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs) Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act, subject to a rule. The legislation is aimed at strengthening accountability at OIRA, the office in the Office of Management and Budget that oversees the federal regulatory process. The legislation would require the OIRA Administrator to convene a working group to review regulations, streamline regulatory decision-making, and aid small businesses and other entities with compliance.
The House is also expected to take up H.J. Res. 83, a resolution under the CRA to disapprove the Department of Labor’s final rule on “Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation To Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness.” The rule imposes on employers a continuing obligation to make and maintain an accurate record of each recordable injury and illness during a five year span. Consideration of H.J. Res. 83 will be subject to a rule.
Two congressional committees this week will begin initial hearings to lay the groundwork for authorizing legislation that will be drafted in the year ahead. Two of the House Agriculture Committee’s subcommittees will hold hearings on Tuesday to review issues for the next farm bill, which is set to expire in 2018. The Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture will meet to discuss international market development, while the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry will review conservation policy.
The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a Wednesday hearing regarding the Section 702 surveillance authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is set to expire at the end of 2017. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) indicated this initial hearing is to “hear from government officials, legal and policy experts, and privacy advocates regarding how the program is currently operating, so that we can best determine what steps might be needed to improve the program.” The first portion of this hearing will be classified.
Additionally this week the House Judiciary Committee will be conducting business related to health care reform efforts. On Tuesday the committee will host a markup that includes consideration of two health care bills. The first bill, H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act, is a comprehensive medical liability reform bill. The bill, which the committee has favorably reported in prior Congresses, was not reported in the last Congress due to Republican opposition to it based on federalism concerns. Because the bill scores with budgetary savings, it provides a means to help pay for health care reform Republicans are pursuing. The second measure, H.R. 372, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2017, would restore the application of federal antitrust laws to the health insurance market by repealing the McCarran-Ferguson Act insofar as it applies to health insurance. This proposal was included in the Republican Study Committee’s healthcare reform bill and Speaker Paul Ryan’s “A Better Way” white paper; it too will play a role in the Republican majority’s strategy for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce will also be considering legislative proposals related to health care coverage and reforms. On Wednesday the full committee will meet to discuss H.R. 1101, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, which aims to make it more affordable for small businesses to offer health care coverage, as well as two discussion drafts: the Self-Insurance Protection Act and the Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is scheduled to meet on Tuesday afternoon to hear testimony from former Senator Dan Coats regarding his nomination to serve as the Director of National Intelligence. Senator Coats is a former Republican member from Indiana who sat on both the Intelligence and the Armed Services Committees.
There are three hearings related to cybersecurity scheduled throughout the week. The House Armed Services Committee will discuss cyber warfare at Wednesday hearing, while the Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday regarding cybersecurity strategy and policy. The House Science, Space and Technology Committee will meet on Wednesday to mark up the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, Assessment, and Auditing Act of 2017.
Related to foreign affairs and domestic security, on Tuesday the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere will hear testimony from experts and academics on issues and opportunities in the western hemisphere. At the same time, the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific will meet to discuss “China’s maritime push.” These two events provide Congress an opportunity to consider global relationships under the new Trump Administration and the large degree of uncertainty that hangs over international relations. In addition, the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on National Security will receive a classified briefing on Wednesday on global counterterrorism efforts.
Finally, there are three congressional hearings related to infrastructure improvements and modernization efforts scheduled on Wednesday. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation will meet to discuss the state of American airports. The full Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is scheduled to host a hearing regarding improving access to infrastructure for communities across the country. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will meet to review the nation’s flood control infrastructure, a very pressing issue given the safety questions that have arisen amid the ongoing crisis at the Oroville Dam in California.
The full details for these hearings and other events scheduled throughout the week are included below:
Monday, February 27, 2017
House Committees
Assessing VA’s Risks for Drug Diversion
House Veterans’ Affairs – Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Subcommittee Hearing
3:30 p.m., 334 CHOB
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
House Committees
The Next Farm Bill: Conservation Policy
House Agriculture – Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 1300 LHOB
Farm Credit Administration Oversight
House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 2362-A RHOB
Member’s Day
House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
10:30 a.m., H-309
Providing More Students a Pathway to Success by Strengthening Career and Technical Education
House Education and the Workforce – Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 2175 RHOB
Ways to Improve and Strengthen the International Anti-Doping System
House Energy and Commerce – Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Subcommittee Hearing
10:15 a.m., 2123 RHOB
Budget Views and Estimates
House Financial Services
Full Committee Markup
10 a.m., 2128 RHOB
The Future of Counterterrorism : Addressing the Evolving Threat to Domestic Security
House Homeland Security – Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., CVC-210
Pending Legislation
House Judiciary
Full Committee Markup
10 a.m., 2141 RHOB
At What Cost? Examining the Social Cost of Carbon
House Science, Space and Technology – Subcommittee on Oversight; House Science, Space and Technology – Subcommittee on Environment
Subcommittees Joint Hearing
10 a.m., 2318 RHOB
The Next Farm Bill: International Market Development
House Agriculture – Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., 1300 LHOB
Member’s Day
House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
1:30 p.m., TBA
Department of Defense Inspector General Report ‘Investigation on Allegations Relating to USCENTCOM Intelligence Products’
House Armed Services – Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Subcommittee Hearing
3:30 p.m., 2118 RHOB
Checking China’s Maritime Push
House Foreign Affairs – Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., 2172 RHOB
Issues and Opportunities in the Western Hemisphere
House Foreign Affairs – Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., 2200 RHOB
The Future of FEMA : Recommendations of Former Administrators
House Homeland Security – Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., CVC-210
Senate Committees
Iraq After Mosul
Senate Foreign Relations
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-419
Improving Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Senate Judiciary
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-226
Director of National Intelligence Nomination
Senate Select Intelligence
Full Committee Hearing
2 p.m., SD-106
Intelligence Matters
Senate Select Intelligence
Full Committee Briefing
4 p.m., SH-219
Joint Committees
Legislative Presentation of the Disabled American Veterans
Senate Veterans’ Affairs; House Veterans’ Affairs
Committee Joint Hearing
2 p.m., SD-G-50
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
House Committees
Budget Views and Estimates
House Agriculture
Full Committee Markup
10 a.m., 1300 LHOB
Member’s Day
House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee Hearing
9:30 a.m., 2008 RHOB
Member’s Day
House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 2358B-RHOB
Cyber Warfare in the 21st Century: Threats, Challenges and Opportunities
House Armed Services
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 2118 RHOB
Legislative Proposals to Improve Health Care Coverage and Provide Lower Costs for Families
House Education and the Workforce
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 2175 RHOB
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
House Judiciary
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 2141 RHOB
Modernizing Western Water and Power Infrastructure in the 21st Century
House Natural Resources – Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 1324 LHOB
NIST Cybersecurity Framework, Assessment, and Auditing Act of 2017
House Science, Space and Technology
Full Committee Markup
10 a.m., 2318 RHOB
Views and Estimates Meeting 115th Congress
House Small Business
Full Committee Markup
11 a.m., 2360 RHOB
Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: State of American Airports
House Transportation and Infrastructure – Subcommittee on Aviation
Subcommittee Hearing
11 a.m., 2167 RHOB
Member’s Day
House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee Hearing
1 p.m., 2008 RHOB
U.S. Ground Force Capability and Modernization Challenges in Eastern Europe
House Armed Services – Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
Subcommittee Hearing
3:30 p.m., 2212 RHOB
VA: Path to Reform
House Oversight and Government Reform – Subcommittee on National Security
Subcommittee Hearing
2 p.m., 2154 RHOB
Senate Committees
Global Counterterrorism
Senate Armed Services – Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Subcommittee Briefing
10 a.m., SVC-217
Connecting America: Improving Access to Infrastructure for Communities Across the Country
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-106
Flood Control Infrastructure: Safety Questions Raised by Current Events
Senate Environment and Public Works
Full Committee Hearing
10:30 a.m., SD-406
The Effects of Border Insecurity and Lax Immigration Enforcement on American Communities
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., SD-342
Pending Business
Senate Judiciary
Full Committee Markup
TBA, SD-226
Joint Committees
Legislative Presentation of The American Legion
House Veterans’ Affairs; Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Committees Joint Hearing
10 a.m., SD-G-50
Legislative Presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
House Veterans’ Affairs; Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Committees Joint Hearing
2 p.m., SD-G-50
Thursday, March 2, 2017
House Committees
Overview of Military Review Board Agencies
House Armed Services – Subcommittee on Military Personnel
Subcommittee Hearing
10:30 a.m., 2118 RHOB
Member’s Day
House Budget
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 1334 LHOB
Examining FDA’s Generic Drug and Biosimilar User Fee Programs
House Energy and Commerce – Subcommittee on Health
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 2123 RHOB
Judgement Fund Oversight
House Judiciary – Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice
Subcommittee Hearing
9 a.m., 2141 RHOB
TSA Transparency
House Oversight and Government Reform
Full Committee Hearing
10 a.m., 2154 RHOB
Adoption of the Committee’s Budget Views and Estimates Letter
House Select Intelligence
Full Committee Markup (CLOSED)
9 a.m., HVC-304
Learning from History: Ideas to Strengthen and Modernize the HUBZone Program
House Small Business – Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce
Subcommittee Hearing
10 a.m., 2360 RHOB
Senate Committees
Cyber Strategy and Policy
Senate Armed Services
Full Committee Hearing
9:30 a.m., SH-216
Exploring the Value of Spectrum to the U.S. Economy
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation – Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation and the Internet
Subcommittee Hearing
9:30 a.m., SD-G-50
Intelligence Matters
Senate Select Intelligence
Full Committee Briefing (CLOSED)
2 p.m., SH-219