PSW Weekly Round-Up - 7/8

Legislative Update

Senate. The Senate will continue to consider nominations. Senators could also take a procedural vote later this week on whether to consider the Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, which would express Congressional support for protecting access to reproductive health care and for restoring the protections provided by Roe v. Wade. Both the Senate and House will not be in session next week as Republicans will be attending the GOP Convention in Milwaukee.

House. Among the bills on the House agenda this week are the Refrigerator Freedom Act and the Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act, which are aimed at rolling back Biden administration energy efficiency regulations. The House is moving forward on FY 2025 appropriations bills and will vote on the Legislative Branch bill. Members could also vote on whether to override the President’s veto of a Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission requiring public companies to include digital assets they hold for clients on their balance sheets.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has revised her resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in inherent contempt of Congress. The new resolution would fine Garland $10,000 a day for not complying with a House subpoena to provide the House with the audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur regarding classified documents. Luna’s earlier resolution would have provided that Garland would be taken into custody. The Justice Department has given the House a transcript of the interview.

Rep.-elect Greg Lopez (R-Colo.) will be sworn in this evening, filling the seat of fellow Republican Rep. Ken Buck, who resigned in March. Adding Lopez to their ranks will give Republicans 220 House seats versus 213 for Democrats, with two vacancies.

FY 2025 Appropriations. The House Appropriations Committee this week is scheduled to mark up the last six of the 12 FY 2025 spending bills. On Tuesday, the panel will mark up Commerce/Justice/Science, Interior and Environment, and Energy and Water. The next three will be considered on Wednesday – Agriculture, Transportation/Housing and Urban Development, and Labor/Health and Human Services/Education.

On the Senate side, the Appropriations Committee will skip subcommittee action and mark up three measures on Thursday – Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction/Veterans Affairs. The Senate panel will also vote on the spending levels for all 12 bills, with the funding allotments expected to be higher than those approved by the House committee.

Committee Action of Note

Tuesday, July 9

• Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing: “The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress” with Jerome Powell, Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
• Senate Budget Committee Hearing: “Examining the CBO’s Updated 2023-2034 Budget and Economic Outlook”
• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families Hearing: “Everyday Expenses and Everyday Americans: How High Costs Impact Children and Families”
• Senate Finance Committee Hearing: “Examining the State of Child Care: How Federal Policy Solutions Can Support Families, Close Existing Gaps, and Strengthen Economic Growth”
• House Appropriations Committee Markup of three FY25 bills:
  • Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill;
  • Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill; and
  • Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Bill
• House Financial Services Committee Hearing: “The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the International Financial System” with Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Meeting: “The FY25 Federal Communications Commission Agency Budget” with FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel
• House Ways and Means Committee Markup of 4 measures, including:
  • H.R. 8914, the “University Accountability Act;”
  • H.R. 8913, the “Protecting American Students Act;”
  • H.R. 8915, the “Education and Workforce Freedom Act;” and
  • H.J. Res. 148, Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Treasury related to “Clean Vehicle Credits Under Sections 25E and 30D; Transfer of Credits; Critical Minerals and Battery Components; Foreign Entities of Concern”
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands Hearing on various measures, including:
  • H.R. 3283, “Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act;” and
  • H.R. 3299, “Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act”
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Hearing: “The FY25 Federal Trade Commission Budget” with Lina Khan, FTC Chair
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Hearing on 4 measures, including:
  • H.R. 7544. “Water Rights Protection Act of 2024;” and
  • H.R. 8811, “America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act of 2024”
• House Homeland Security Subcommittees on Border Security and Enforcement and Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Joint Hearing: “Smart Investments: Technology’s Role in a Multi-Layered Border Security Strategy”
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Hearing: “An Examination of the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) in Use Locomotive Regulation”

Wednesday, July 10

• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Hearing: “Oversight of Digital Commodities”
• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing to consider the nomination of Shannon Estenoz to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior
• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Subcommittee Hearing: “The State of Rural Infrastructure: Emergency Response, Recovery, and Resilience”
• House Appropriations Committee Markup of three FY25 bills:
  • Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies;
  • Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; and
  • Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Bills
• House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation Hearing: “Eliminating Bottlenecks: Examining Opportunities to Recruit, Retain, and Engage Aviation Talent”
• House Financial Services Hearing: “The Federal Reserve’s Semi-Annual Monetary Policy Report” with Jerome H. Powell, Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
• House Small Business Committee Hearing: “Main Street Realities: Examining the Current Economic Landscape in America”
• House Oversight and Accountability Hearing: “Oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency”
• House Agriculture Hearing: “Examining the Consequences of EPA’s Actions on American Agriculture”

Thursday, July 11

• Senate Appropriations Committee Markup of three FY25 bills:
  • Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2025;
  • Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025; and
  • Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing: “What Can Congress Do to End the Medical Debt Crisis in America?”
• Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing: “Health Care Transparency: Lowering Costs and Empowering Patients”

Friday, July 12

• House Ways and Means Field Hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah: “Access to Health Care in America: Unleashing Medical Innovation and Economic Prosperity”

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