IN THE HOUSE: The House had planned to vote this week on a handful of bills dealing with home appliances, but those measures have been moved to the back burner following Iran’s weekend attack on Israel. Now the House is scheduled to vote on several Iran- and Israel-related measures, but it remains unclear how Speaker Mike Johnson plans to address the bigger question of U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine. The Republican leadership has not yet unveiled the bill that would send tens of billions to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan/Indo-Pacific with a fourth bill focused on Republican national security priorities. The House Appropriations Committee was working on finalizing the text as of late evening. yesterday. More importantly, senior Republican aides say Johnson still has not agreed on a rule to bring the bill to the floor. If Republicans release the bill today and want to stick to their "72-hour rule," the leadership will be unable to hold a vote on the floor until Saturday. After that, the Senate would need to act. This is problematic because both chambers are scheduled to leave town before the weekend for the Passover recess.. House leadership aides say they are concerned that attendance will start to decline as we get closer to Friday. See attached invite to our call tomorrow on geopolitics with Col. Jeffrey McCausland.
ON THE SENATE FLOOR: Last week, Senate Republicans asked House Republicans to delay delivering impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Speaker Johnson agreed and said that instead of presenting the impeachment articles on April 10, they would be delivered to the Senate on Tuesday, April 16. Once the impeachment articles are presented, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that Senators will be sworn in as jurors the next day and that the Senate will “address the issue as expeditiously as possible.” While Schumer has not said what procedural steps he will take, he could move as soon as today to dismiss or table the charges, which would require a simple majority vote for approval.
Also on this week’s schedule are two matters that need to be addressed before April 19. One is the FISA issue. The Senate plans to vote on legislation that the House approved last week that would reauthorize for two years the electronic surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). (The House has to take another procedural vote before the measure can be sent to the Senate). The other measure is a bill by Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) that would block implementation in this fiscal year of EPA’s recent vehicle emissions rule. As part of negotiations on the second FY 2024 appropriations package, Schumer promised Crapo a standalone vote on his proposal by April 19. Sixty votes will be needed for approval.
House Committees: House Republicans last week chose Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) as the new chair of the Appropriations Committee, replacing Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tex.), who announced on March 22 that she would be stepping aside. Because House Republican Conference Rules provide that a full committee chair cannot serve as a subcommittee chair, Cole had to give up the gavel as chair of the Transportation-HUD Subcommittee. That set in motion a number of changes.
Rep. Steven Womack (R-AR) is the new chair of the Transportation-HUD Subcommittee; Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) has now taken Womack’s place as chair of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee; Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) has replaced Joyce as chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee; and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) has succeeded Amodei as chair of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee. Cole has also given up the gavel at the Rules Committee, and Speaker Johnson has named Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) as the new chair.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Wednesday, April 17
- Senate Appropriations Committee FY25 Budget Hearings:
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: Request for the U.S. Department of Justice with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland
- Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Hearing: “FAA Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) Expert Panel Report”
- Senate Finance Committee Hearing: “The President’s 2024 Trade Policy Agenda”
- Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security Hearing: “Feeding a Healthier America: Current Efforts and Potential Opportunities for Food is Medicine”
- House Appropriations Committee FY25 Budget Hearings:
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies: Request for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation
- Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Request for the Department of the Interior with Deb Haaland, Secretary, Department of the Interior
- Subcommittee on Defense: Request for the Department of Defense with Lloyd Austin, Secretary, Department of Defense
- Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: Request for the Department of Labor with Julie Su, Acting Secretary, Department of Labor
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies: Request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: Request for Air Force and Space Force Military Construction and Family Housing
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security: Request for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- House Oversight and Accountability Committee Hearing: “Defending America from the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Warfare, Part I”
- House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Hearing: “Legislative Solutions to Protect Kids Online and Ensure Americans’ Data Privacy Rights”
- House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Hearing: “FY 2025 Department of Health and Human Services Budget”
- House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Hearing: “Department of the Navy FY 2025 Budget Request for Seapower and Projection Forces”
Thursday, April 18
- Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing: “Oversight of Federal Housing Regulators” with Adrianne Todman, Acting Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development
- House Appropriations Committee FY25 Budget Hearings:
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies: Request for the Food and Drug Administration
- House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Hearing: “Oversight of the Biden Administration’s Pause on LNG Exports”
- House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Hearing: “Assessing Solutions to Secure America’s Offshore Energy Future”
GEOPOLITICS: SPANNING THE GLOBE | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 AT 11:00 AM ET
Join our Washington chief J.T. Taylor and Hedgeye's geopolitical advisor Col. Jeffrey McCausland for updates on the Middle East conflict: prospects for escalation between Israel and Iran further ensnaring the U.S. after Iran's aerial attack last weekend - and Israel's looming response, dimming prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza and the state of play in the Middle East. We'll discuss the latest developments in Ukraine with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in China and Russia's seemingly imminent spring offensive. Additionally, we'll discuss the strategy behind the latest collaboration with Japan and the Philippines, as well as the state of the $93 billion foreign aid supplemental on Capitol Hill with Congress at an impasse.
***Please submit your questions in advance***
CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS (INCLUDES VIDEO AND MATERIALS LINK).
