Recapping Last Week in Congress
Only the Senate was in session last week, which usually makes the recap easy. Or rather, the bottom line list of legislative accomplishments are short, even if the explanation of how they got there (or didn't, as the case may be) is a long, long walk.
Legislatively, the week's accomplishment was the passage of the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act, delivering on part of the promise of the compromise reached at the end of the Senate rules reform fight this past January. Appropriately enough, the rest of the week's accomplishments were on the nominations front, with Gingrich-buster James Cole and new CIA Director General David Petraeus as the big names on the board. But check below the fold on the round-up from last Friday, and you'll see the huge list of names that made it through by unanimous consent. That kind of plate-clearing happens a lot prior to a recess. Only in the week to come, there'll be no recess. Just a shortened work week.
This Week in Congress
Today, of course, is a federal holiday and no one's in session.
The House doesn't return until Wednesday, with the first votes postponed until 6:30 p.m., and last votes for the week slated for no later than 3 p.m. on Friday. In that short time, the schedule claims they'll be attempting to finish up Defense appropriations, begin Energy & Water appropriations, and a flood insurance reform act as well. I guess that tells us something about how much realistic opportunity one can expect for meaningful debate and amendments.
The Senate is back on Tuesday, and slated to attempt to take up a compromise resolution on Libya, S.J. Res. 20. Harry Reid had to file cloture on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 20, by the way. So that's how they came to be able to nail down the vote time. It certainly didn't come as the result of any kind of agreement.
That's all we can say for sure at the moment, now that Rand Paul is threatening to filibuster anything and everything until his latest set of demands are met. His demands, at least this time, are said to be the same as those made, but quickly abandoned, by Ron Johnson last week. That is, well... some sort of debate (no one knows quite what's required) about the debt ceiling. Or possibly the budget. Or some combination of both. And maybe a constitutional amendment, too.
Serious! Not Aqua Buddha-ish at all!
Owing to the long weekend and the delayed Congressional workweek, the committee schedules are are still being compiled. What we've got so far is below the fold, and the rest will be in place in time for each day's Today in Congress report.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
THE WEEKLY WHIP: FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2011
First Vote Of The Week: Wednesday 6:30 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted: Friday 3:00 p.m.
MONDAY, JULY 4, 2011
On Monday, the House is not in session.
TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2011
On Tuesday, the House will meet at 1:00 p.m. for pro forma session. No votes are expected in the House.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011
On Wednesday, the House will meet at 2:00 p.m. for legislative business with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. Members are advised that important votes are expected on Wednesday and that the vote series at 6:30 p.m. is expected to be longer than usual.
Continue Consideration of H.R. 2219 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012 (Rep. Young (FL) - Appropriations)
Suspensions (2 Bills)
- H.Res. 268 - Reaffirming the United States' commitment to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and for other purposes (Rep. Cantor - Foreign Affairs)
- H.R. 515 - Belarus Democracy Reauthorization Act of 2011, as amended (Rep. Smith (NJ) - Foreign Affairs)
THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011 AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for Morning Hour debate and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. On Friday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business with last votes no later than 3:00 p.m.
Complete Consideration of H.R. 2219 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2012 (Rep. Young (FL) - Appropriations)
Begin Consideration of H.R. 2354 - Energy and Water Appropriations Act, 2012 (Rep. Frelinghuysen - Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule)
Begin Consideration of H.R. 1309 - Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011 (Rep. Biggert - Financial Services) (Subject to a Rule)
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Senate Floor Schedule for Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Senate will convene at 11:30am on Friday, July 1st for a pro-forma session only, with no business conducted.
The Senate will re-convene at 2pm on Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar #88, S.J.Res.20, the Kerry-McCain resolution regarding Libya.
The first vote of the week will be on Tuesday, July 5th on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.J.Res.20. Senator Reid announced this vote will run longer than usual to accommodate Senators returning from the Independence Day holiday.