PSW Weekly Round-Up - 6/6

Legislative Update

Senate. The Senate will continue to consider nominations and is expected to take up legislation that would provide benefits for veterans affected by exposure to toxic burn pits and airborne hazards while they served overseas. Burn pits have been used by the military to dispose of chemicals, fuel, medical waste, and other substances.

House. On the suspension calendar Tuesday is a major piece of legislation that will extend for five years the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar products. The current authorization is set to expire Sept. 30. (The Senate HELP Committee is scheduled to mark up its version on Wednesday.) Also on the suspension calendar is the new Water Resources Development Act.

Later in the week, the House will take up two bills related to gun violence – the Protecting Our Kids Act (H.R. 7910) and the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (H.R. 2377). H.R. 7910 would raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21; make it a federal offense to import, manufacture or possess large-capacity magazines; and create a grant program to buy back such magazines. H.R. 2377 addresses so-called “red flag” laws and would allow federal courts to grant petitions from family members and law enforcement officers to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who are deemed to pose an extreme risk to themselves or others.

In a June 3 Dear Colleague letter, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer laid out plans for this month’s three-week work period. The schedule includes consideration of ocean shipping legislation the week of June 13, and a package of bills to improve access to mental health care during the week of June 20. Also that week, the House plans to consider legislation establishing the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as an independent agency.

Jan. 6 Committee. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol will hold its first public hearing at 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday. “The committee will present previously unseen material documenting January 6th, receive witness testimony, preview additional hearings, and provide the American people a summary of its findings about the coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power,” the panel said. The 90-minute hearing will be aired live on CBS, ABC, PBS, and possibly other networks that have not yet announced their plans.

Committee Action of Note:

• Tuesday, June 7:
  • Senate Finance Committee Hearing “The President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget” with Treasury Secretary Yellen
  • Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing “Around the World Threat Assessment”
  • Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee Hearing “The Western Water Crisis: Confronting Persistent Drought and Building Resilience on Forests and Farmland”
  • Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing “Rising Threats: Ransomware Attacks and Ransom Payments Enabled by Cryptocurrency”
  • House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Hearing “Cybersecurity and Risk Management at VA: Addressing Ongoing Challenges and Moving Forward”
  • Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Hearing “On the President’s FY23 Budget Request for the Department of Education”
  • Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation Hearing “Reviving Conventions & Tourism Through International Travel”

• Wednesday, June 8:
  • House Ways and Means Committee Hearing “The President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget” with Treasury Secretary Yellen
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Markup to consider S.4348 (user fees) and S.958 (community health centers)
  • House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Hearing: “Addressing the Roadway Safety Crisis: Building Safer Roads for All”
  • House Committee on Oversight and Reform Hearing “The Urgent Need to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic”
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Executive Session to vote on Michael S. Barr to be a Member and Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Jaime E. Lizárraga and Mark T. Uyeda to be members of the Securities and Exchange Commission
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • House Committee on Natural Resources Markup of various bills

• Thursday, June 9:
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Hearing “Coal Community Protection and Revitalization”
  • Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing to Examine the President’s FY23 Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service
  • House Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness Markup: NDAA for FY23
  • Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee Hearing “Oversight of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration”
  • Senate Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Subcommittee Hearing “Agricultural Trade: Priorities & Issues Facing Farmers”
  • Senate Budget Committee Hearing “Saving Social Security: Expanding Benefits & Demanding the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share of Cutting Benefits and Increasing Retirement Anxiety”

Political Update

Tuesday Primaries. Seven states will hold primaries on June 7 – California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Of note is that in California, candidates from all parties are listed on the same ballot, and the top two finishers advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. For the first time in its history, California is losing a seat in Congress and the new redistricting map shows 52 instead of 53 districts. Also in California, there is a runoff in the special election to replace Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, who resigned in January. Republican Connie Conway is expected to prevail over Democrat Lourin Hubbard. The winner will serve for the remainder of Nunes’ term, and neither candidate is running for a full term.