09/24/18 08:11 AM EDT

WASHINGTON WEEK AHEAD

DRIVING THE WEEK:

The House and Senate are both in session. The House is planning to recess on Friday and will return after the midterm election. The Senate will remain in session for part of October.

The House is expected to take up and pass an $854 billion spending bill ahead of the September 30 expiration date to fund the government. President Trump again raised the specter of a shutdown by questioning Republican leaders' plan to postpone a fight over funding for the construction of his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall until after the midterm elections. Conservative Republicans are likely to oppose the measure and are working against passage while riling up Trump. In an effort to ensure passage and make a veto politically untenable, Republican leadership added hurricane relief (Florence) funding over the weekend.

A NAFTA deadline also looms large this week with talks between the U.S and Canada stalled. The Trump Administration has until September 30 to submit language to Congress in order to meet a deadline of November 30 – the last day of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s term. The Administration may move forward and pursue a bilateral deal with Mexico only, but the deal’s fate would ultimately rest in the hands of a divided Congress – after the 2018 midterms.

A full House vote on a measure making individual tax cuts permanent is expected by the beginning of October. The bill stands no chance of advancing in the Senate before the midterm election.

With new allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh surfacing over the past 24 hours, Professor Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh will appear separately before the Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday morning at 10am.

Trump is set to meet with world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. Among his meetings is South Korea President Moon Jae-in, who had his own summit with Kim days ago, who has said he would brief Trump on his summit and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's desire for a second summit meeting.

The next meeting of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Analysts are expecting the central bank to raise its key benchmark interest rate.

FCC ON TRACK TO BOOST C-BAND SPECTRUM VALUE | The FCC could issue an order for terrestrial use of C-band spectrum by the second quarter of next year. Read Paul Glenchur's piece here.

OPEC UPDATE | OPEC OFFERS LIST OF PRODUCTION BOOST CLUES BUT NO SPECIFIC NUMBER - SAUDI SAYS IT'S HIKING: The Saudis said September production is already up and in "October it will be even higher” hinting at a production number above 10.6 M b/d. Read Joe McMonigle's outlook here.

U.S. SENATE SCHEDULE:


Monday, Sep 24, 2018 10:00 AM – SH-216	Judiciary	Hearings to examine the nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018 9:30 AM – SD-G50	Armed Services	Hearings to examine the nominations of General Robert B. Abrams, USA, to be General, and to be Commander, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea, and Vice Admiral Craig S. Faller, USN, to be Admiral, and to be Commander, United States Southern Command.
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018 10:00 AM – SD-366	Energy and Natural Resources	Hearings to examine the Department of Energy's efforts in the field of quantum information science.
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018 10:00 AM – SD-430	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions	Hearings to examine the Every Student Succeeds Act, focusing on states leading the way.
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018 3:30 PM – SD-430	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security	Hearings to examine health care in rural America, focusing on experiences and costs.
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018 10:00 AM – SD-G50	Commerce, Science, and Transportation	Hearings to examine safeguards for consumer data privacy.
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018 10:45 AM – SH-216	Joint Economic Committee	Hearings to examine the rise of American earnings and living standards.
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018 2:30 PM – SD-342	Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management	Hearings to examine the Federal role in the toxic PFAS chemical crisis.
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018 2:30 PM – SD-628	Indian Affairs	An oversight hearing to examine justice for Native youth, focusing on the Government Accountability Office report on "Native American Youth Involvement in Justice Systems and Information on Grants to Help Address Juvenile Delinquency".
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018 2:30 PM – SH-216	Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel Subcommittee on Cybersecurity	Hearings to examine the cyber operational readiness of the Department of Defense; to be immediately followed by a closed session in SVC-217.
Thursday, Sep 27, 2018 10:00 AM – SD-430	Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions	Hearings to examine reducing health care costs, focusing on improving affordability through innovation.