DRIVING THE WEEK:
- The House and Senate return from a weeklong recess and will be in session this week.
- Primary elections will be held in Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia on Tuesday to nominate candidates for the November elections.
- The White House will formally ask Congress to slash $11 billion from old spending accounts today, according to two unnamed Capitol Hill sources, in a smaller presidential rescissions package than the administration was initially eyeing. The proposal will not target funds from the recently passed $1.3 trillion spending bill, and will instead focus on years-old funding that's been approved but hasn't yet been spent.
- President Trump's nominee to replace Mike Pompeo as CIA director, Gina Haspel, will have her confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence committee. Amid talk of withdrawing over the weekend, Haspel will make the rounds on Capitol Hill today and will meet with Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).
- Pressure to complete the NAFTA deal takes center stage again in Washington this week with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo resuming talks today with a number of major issues unresolved. The Trump Administration wants to conclude the agreement this month with the intent of meeting Congressional deadlines for approval around the midterm elections.
- A number of other critical foreign policy issues will be at the forefront throughout the next week: In addition to NAFTA, Trump faces a May 12 deadline to decide whether to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said demands by the United States to change the 2015 agreement with world powers were unacceptable. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson will be in Washington today making the case to Vice President Mike Pence to stay in the Obama-era pact. Additionally, an announcement is expected on the time and location of Trump’s summit with North Korean President Kim Jong-un with Trump said to favor the DMZ as the venue. And, the U.S. Embassy in Israel will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem next Monday, May 14.
- House Republicans will vote this week on a Senate-passed resolution that would block 2013 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau guidance on auto-lending discrimination. The resolution, which the Senate adopted in late April, is seen as very likely to clear the House and signed by the president.
TSUNAMI OF INCREASED DoD SPENDING FOR DEFENSE PRIMES IS STILL ENROUTE: Read General Emo Gardner's analysis here.
Monday, May 7, 2018
House of Representatives Schedule
Hearing: H.R. 2152Citizens' Right to Know Act of 2017; H.R. 5645Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act of 2018; S.J. Res. 57Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5 United States Code of the rule submitted by Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to "Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act" |Host: Committee on Rules
Markup: Subcommittee Markup - FY 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill |Host: Committee on Appropriations
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
House of Representatives Schedule
Hearing: Combating the Opioid Epidemic: Examining Concerns About Distribution and Diversion |Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Hearing: “The Opioid Epidemic: Implications for the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act” |Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
Markup: Full Committee Markup - FY 2019 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill and FY 2019 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill | Host: Committee on Appropriations | Full Committee
Hearing: Blue Technologies: Use of New Maritime Technologies to Improve Efficiency and Mission Performance |Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Washington, D.C.
Hearing: Confronting the Iranian Challenge |Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hearing: Challenges and Solutions in the Opioid Abuse Crisis |Host: Committee on the Judiciary
Markup: Full Committee Markup | Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Full Committee
Hearing: Sharing the Road: Policy Implications of Electric and Conventional Vehicles in the Years Ahead | Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Environment
Hearing: Travel and Tourism: A Small Business Angle |Host: Committee on Small Business
Hearing: Improving the Coordination and Quality of Substance Use Disorder Treatment | Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Health
Hearing: Progress Report on the 2020 Census | Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
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U.S. Senate Schedule
Energy and Natural Resources | An oversight hearing to examine the current status of Puerto Rico's electric grid and proposals for the future operation of the grid.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
House of Representatives Schedule
Hearing: American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Markup: H.R. 5515 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 |Host: Committee on Armed Services
Hearing: “Closing the Skills Gap: Private sector solutions for America's workforce” | Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development
Hearing: Program Integrity for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program |Host: Committee on Oversight and Government Reform | Subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules
Markup: H.R. 5105 H.R. 5141 H.R. 5433 and H.R. 5535 |Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs
Markup: H.R. 5105, H.R. 5141, H.R. 5433, and H.R. 5535 |Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Full Committee
Hearing: FY 2019 Defense Member Day |Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Defense
Hearing: Ready, Willing, and Able to Work: How Small Businesses Empower People with Developmental Disabilities |Host: Committee on Small Business
Hearing: American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses |Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Hearing: Protecting Civil Society Faith-Based Actors and Political Speech in Sub-Saharan Africa
| Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations
Hearing: Subcommittee Markup - FY 2019 Agriculture Appropriations Bill |Host: Committee on Appropriations | Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Markup: Subcommittee Markup - FY 2019 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill | Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
U.S. Senate Schedule
Energy and Natural Resources: Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining | Hearings to examine the law enforcement programs at the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service, coordination with other Federal, state, and local law enforcement, and the effects on rural communities.
Indian Affairs | Hearings to examine the nomination of Tara Sweeney, of Alaska, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
House of Representatives Schedule
Hearing: American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses |Host: Committee on Appropriations | Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Hearing: FY19 Budget: Members' Day | Host: Committee On The Budget
Hearing: State and Foreign Operations Member Day |Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Hearing: Examining the State of Electric Transmission Infrastructure: Investment Planning Construction and Alternatives |Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Energy
Hearing: American Indian/Alaska Native Public Witnesses |Host: Committee on Appropriations | Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
