PSW Weekly Round-Up - 11/6

Legislative Update

Senate. The Senate will continue to consider nominations and is expected to confirm Dr. Monica Bertagnolli as the new director of the National Institutes of Health. On Tuesday afternoon, Republicans will hold a closed-door meeting to discuss what to do about Senator Tommy Tuberville’s hold on over 370 military promotions. Since February, Tuberville (R-Ala.) has blocked expedited consideration of the promotions because he objects to a Defense Department policy that reimburses service members for travel expenses to receive reproductive health care.

House. Tuesday is also the day that House Republicans will get together to discuss how to proceed on a Continuing Resolution that will provide government funding after the current CR expires on Nov. 17. Speaker Mike Johnson and his GOP colleagues will try to find consensus on the length of the CR (January? April? Other?) and the funding levels (continue or cut back current FY 2023 levels?). Other variables that could come into play include whether the CR will be the eventual vehicle for financial aid to Israel and Ukraine and possible changes to border policy.

Meanwhile, Speaker Johnson wants the House to pass all 12 appropriations bills for FY 2024, a goal that saw a slight detour last week when the House had to postpone consideration of the spending bill for Transportation and Housing and Urban Development because the measure apparently did not have the votes to pass. In particular, Northeast Republicans were not pleased that the T-HUD bill would cut Amtrak funding by over 60% (and House Democrats planned to vote no for a number of reasons). Republican leaders have added the T-HUD bill to this week’s agenda, with plans to pass it and the Financial Services and General Government appropriations measure.

Committee Action of Note

Tuesday, November 7

• Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Hearing: “Sustainable Tourism for a Thriving Economy”
• Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee Hearing: “Understanding Roadway Safety: Examining the Causes of Roadway Safety Challenges and Possible Interventions”
• House Ways and Means Committee Hearing: “Ensuring that ‘Woke’ Doesn’t Leave Americans Broke: Protecting Seniors and Savers from ESG Activism”
• House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy Hearing: “The Tangled Web of Global Governance: How the Biden Administration is Ceding Authority Over American Financial Regulation”
• Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing: “Threats to the Homeland”

Wednesday, November 8

• Senate Finance Committee Markup of the “Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act”
• Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing: “A Review of the President’s Supplemental Request for the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security”
• Senate Budget Committee Hearing: “Fairness and Fiscal Responsibility; Cracking Down on Wealthy Tax Cheats”
• Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing: “U.S. National Security Interests in Ukraine”
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing: “Accessing Clean Water Infrastructure Assistance: Small, Rural, Disadvantaged, and Underserved Communities”
• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property Hearing: “Reforming the Patent Trial and Appeal Board – the PREVAIL Act and Proposals to Promote U.S. Innovation Leadership”
• House Small Business Committee Hearing: “Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Effects of Department of Energy Regulations on America’s Job Creators”
• House Natural Resources Committee markup of various measures, including H.R. 1211, “Protecting American Energy Production Act”
• House Financial Services Committee Hearing: “A Review of Our Sanctions Regime and Efforts to Combat Terrorist Financing”
• House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Hearing: “Advances in Deepfake Technology”
• House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: “Friend and Ally: U.S. support for Israel after Hamas’ Barbaric Attack”

Thursday, November 9

• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine the implementation of Federal Coal Mine Reclamation and Abandoned Coal Mine Land Economic Revitalization Programs
• Senate Finance Committee Hearing: “Examining How the Tax Code Affects High-Income Individuals and Tax Planning Strategies”

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