IN THE HOUSE: From today through Thursday, the House will consider H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which combines some 20 bills considered by the Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. The House Rules Committee is meeting this afternoon to decide which of the 152 proposed amendments will be considered on the House floor. According to a CBO estimate, the measure would increase the deficit by $2.3 billion over a 10-year timeframe.
While Republican leaders are planning for House passage on Thursday, Senate Democratic leadership has made it clear that the bill will not be approved by the Senate. After the House wraps up its business on Thursday, members will take a two-week recess, reconvening on April 17.
ON THE SENATE FLOOR: The Senate will also be on recess until April 17 after completing its business for the week. Senators are planning to finish consideration of amendments to legislation that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations of the use of military force in the Gulf and Iraq wars. Final passage of the measure could take place on Wednesday. It’s possible that the Senate could also vote this week on the House-passed resolution to disapprove a Biden Administration rule on Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS), but that is not yet on the schedule.
FY 2024 Budget: Biden Administration officials will continue to appear before House and Senate committees this week to testify on the President’s FY 2024 budget proposal. As for the Republican budget proposal, House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) says he is working on a budget resolution, but it is unclear when that will be unveiled. Arrington hasn't revealed a date certain as of this week amid mounting pressure from within as well as from the Biden White House.
Arrington also said he was working on a “term sheet” of conditions that Republicans would demand in return for an increase in the debt ceiling and that completing that document is a higher priority than drafting a budget resolution. When asked on Friday about Arrington’s term sheet, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy punted claiming no knowledge of Arrington's proposal.
Trust Funds: Each year the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds report on the current and projected financial status of the two programs. The Trustee's Reports include extensive information about the current operations of these social insurance programs and an analysis of their outlook. The reports are expected to be released on Friday.
EVs: The Treasury Department will release guidance this week that will determine which electric vehicles are eligible for up to $7,500 in tax credits. Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the full $7,500 in credits is available for EVs assembled in the U.S. if at least 50% of the battery components comes from North America (eventually 100% after 2028) and if 40% (80% after 2026) of the value of the minerals in the battery is either domestically sourced or from a free trade partner. In addition to providing more specifics about the supply chain requirements, the guidance is expected to include details on what qualifies as a free trade agreement country.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Tuesday, March 28
- Senate Armed Services Hearing: To receive testimony on the Department of Defense Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2024 and the Future Years Defense Program
- Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing to examine the Department of Homeland Security
- Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing: “Recent Bank Failures and the Federal Regulatory Response”
- Senate Rules and Administration Committee hearings to examine state and local perspectives on election administration
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearings on FY 2024 Budget Proposals, including U.S. Air Force and Space Force, Department of the Interior, Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Transportation Security Administration
- House Small Business Committee Hearing: “The End of Relationship Banking? Examining the CFPB's "Small Business Lending Data Collection" Rule
- House Armed Services Committee Hearing: “Posture and Readiness of the Mobility Enterprise - TRANSCOM and MARAD
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing: “Reviewing the Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act”
- House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “Government Response to East Palestine: Ensuring Safety and Transparency for the Community”
- House Appropriations Committee Hearing: Oversight Hearing – Inspectors General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Transportation
- House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing: “FDA Oversight Part I: The Infant Formula Shortage”
- House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing: “The Consequences of School Closures: Intended and Unintended”
- House Agriculture Committee Hearing with Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack
- House Homeland Security Committee Hearing: “Biden’s Growing Border Crisis: Death, Drugs, and Disorder on the Northern Border”
- House Education and the Workforce Committee Hearing: “Unleashing America’s Opportunities for Hiring and Employment”
- House Administration Committee Hearing: “2022 Midterms Look Back Series: Government Voter Suppression in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania”
- House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “Preserving Free Speech and Reining in Big Tech Censorship”
- House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “Lowering Unaffordable Costs: Examining Transparency and Competition in Health Care”
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing: “Maritime Transportation Supply Chain Issues”
- House Ways and Means Committee Hearing: “President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request with Health and Human Services Secretary Becerra”
Wednesday, March 29
- Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearings on the FY 2024 Request for the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Homeland Security
- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to examine the EPA Good Neighbor rule, focusing on healthier air for downwind states
- Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearings to examine the need to end illegal union busting at Starbucks
- Senate Budget Committee Hearing: “To examine the cost of oil dependence in a low-carbon world”
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing to examine advancing next generation aviation technologies
- Senate Finance Committee Hearing: “To examine the oral health, crisis, focusing on identifying and addressing health disparities”
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearings on FY 2024 Budget Requests, including the Department of Justice, the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of the Treasury International Programs, the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- House Small Business Committee Hearing: “Highlighting the Role of Small Businesses in Domestic Energy Production”
- House Appropriations Committee Hearing: “Addressing the Challenges of Rural America”
- House Budget Committee Hearing: “Fiscal State of the Union”
- House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: “Oversight, Transparency, and Accountability of Ukraine Assistance”
- House Financial Services Committee Hearing: “The Federal Regulators’ Response to Recent Bank Failures”
- House Armed Services Committee Hearing: “FY 2024 Defense Budget Request”
- House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing: “Overdue Oversight of the Capital City: Part I”
- House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “FY 2024 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”
- House Education and the Workforce Committee Hearing: “Diversity of Thought: Protecting Free Speech on College Campuses”
- House Energy and Commerce Hearing: “Taking the Buzzer Beater to the Bank: Protecting College Athletes’ NIL Dealmaking Rights”
- House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “Follow the Money: Oversight of President Biden's Massive Spending Spree”
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing: “Disaster Recovery: Examining Coordination and Reducing Duplication of Federal Disaster Programs”
- House Judiciary Committee Hearing: “Compliance with Committee Oversight”
- House Ways and Means Committee Hearing: “Welfare is Broken: Restoring Work Requirements to Lift Americans Out of Poverty”
- House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing: “Fueling Unaffordability: How the Biden Administration’s Policies Catalyzed Global Energy Scarcity and Compounded Inflation”
- House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: “Examining U.S. Sanctions Policy, Implementation, and Enforcement”
- House Armed Services Committee Hearing: “FY 2024 Budget Request of the Department of Defense for Fixed-Wing Tactical and Training Aircraft Programs”
Thursday, March 30
- Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing to examine the posture of the Department of the Army in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2024 and the Future Years Defense Program
- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing: To examine petrochemicals to waste, focusing on the lifecycle, environmental, and climate effects of plastic
- Senate Finance Committee Hearing: To examine pharmacy benefit managers and the prescription drug supply chain, focusing on the impact on patients and taxpayers
- Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Hearing: To examine forestry in the Farm Bill, focusing on the importance of America's forests
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Budget Hearing: FY 2024 Request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture
- House Armed Services Committee Hearing: “Cyberspace Operations: Conflict in the 21st Century”
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Hearing: “FAA Reauthorization: Harnessing the Evolution of Flight to Deliver for the American People”
