Recapping Last Week in Congress
The House spent its week chiefly on two bills that may never again see the light of day. First, the fake Republican budget and debt ceiling bill that won't cut, cap or balance anything, since it'll almost assuredly never be enacted into law. Kudos, by the way, to the Democratic Whip operation for referring to it as the "Cut, Cap, and End Medicare Act."
Note, too, that the bill doesn't even raise the debt ceiling. Sec. 301 prohibits that until Congress passes a balanced budget amendment. And not just any BBA, either, but a very specific version of it. Since that requires a 2/3 vote in both houses, the fake GOP bill adds that additional hurdle on top of all the problems they're already causing on the debt ceiling. Just what the world needed!
The second long-shot of the week was H.R. 1315, the so-called, "Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act." Psst! Just between you and me, it doesn't really improve anything! Plus, the rule for the bill provided that once H.R. 1315 passed, the Clerk will include the text of H.R. 830 (the FHA Refinance Program Termination Act) in the text of H.R. 1315. H.R. 830, however, drew a veto threat from President Obama months ago. So that'll probably work out great, too.
Top line items in the Senate last week were the MilCon/VA appropriations bill (which passed overwhelmingly, despite requiring a cloture vote on the motion to proceed) and the House's fake budget/debt package (which failed miserably, the Senate voting to table it).
This Week in Congress
Both houses will be in a holding pattern this week, waiting for some legislative vehicle to emerge with which The Deal to Save the World can be moved.
The House waits on pending legislation by filling up its schedule with other stuff that can be put off if necessary. Lots of post office naming bills, for instance. But also plenty of other stuff, including more appropriations bills, and some dubiously named junk like the "North American-Made Energy Security Act" (a bill to fast-track some oil pipelines) and the near-hilarious "Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act" (preventing the NLRB from... doing anything). And maybe, just maybe, we'll even see a vote on a balanced budget amendment, too.
The Senate has a very different method of hanging around, waiting for things to happen. They have the option to schedule something ponderous and just let it sit there on the floor, or even to schedule nothing in particular and take long recesses and extended quorum calls. On Monday, they've got a few judicial nominations to keep them busy. After that, it's anybody's guess how they'll occupy their floor time while waiting for The Deal's ship to come in.
Full floor and committee schedules are below the fold.
In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Democratic Whip:
THE WEEKLY WHIP: FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011
First Vote Of The Week: Monday 1:00 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted: ???
MONDAY, JULY 25, 2011
On Monday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for Morning Hour debate and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. First votes are expected as early as 1:00 p.m.
Suspensions (3 Bills)
- S. 1103 - A bill to extend the term of the incumbent Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Sen. Leahy – Judiciary)
- H.R. 440 - To provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia (Rep. Wolf – Foreign Affairs)
- Senate Amendments to H.R. 1383 - Restoring GI Bill Fairness Act of 2011 (Rep. Miller (FL) – Veterans Affairs)
Begin Consideration of H.R. 2584 - Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, FY 2012 (Rep. Simpson – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule) Any Member wishing to offer an amendment to H.R. 2584 should be prepared to offer as early as 2:30 p.m. on Monday.
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2011 AND THE BALANCE OF THE WEEK
On Tuesday, Wednesday and 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.
Suspensions (10 Bills)
- H.R. 2548 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6310 North University Street in Peoria, Illinois, as the "Charles 'Chip' Lawrence Chan Post Office Building” (Rep. Schock – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2244 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 67 Castle Street in Geneva, New York, as the "Corporal Steven Blaine Riccione Post Office" (Rep. Hanna – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2213 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 801 West Eastport Street in Iuka, Mississippi, as the "Sergeant Jason W. Vaughn Post Office" (Rep. Nunnelee – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 789 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 20 Main Street in Little Ferry, New Jersey, as the "Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton Post Office" (Rep. Rothman – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 1975 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 281 East Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, as the "First Lieutenant Oliver Goodall Post Office Building" (Rep. Schiff –Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 1843 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 489 Army Drive in Barrigada, Guam, as the "John Pangelinan Gerber Post Office Building” (Rep. Bordallo – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2062 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 45 Meetinghouse Lane in Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts, as the "Matthew A. Pucino Post Office" (Rep. Keating – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2149 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4354 Pahoa Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the "Cecil L. Heftel Post Office Building" (Rep. Hanabusa – Oversight and Government Reform)
- H.R. 2056 - To instruct the Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to study the impact of insured depository institution failures, and for other purposes, as amended (Rep. Westmoreland – Financial Services)
- H.R. 2608 - Small Business Program Extension and Reform Act of 2011, as amended (Rep. Graves – Small Business)
H.R. 1938 - North American-Made Energy Security Act (Rep. Terry – Transportation and Infrastructure/Energy and Commerce/Natural Resources) (Subject to a Rule)
H.R. 2587 – Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act (Rep. Scott (SC) – Education and Workforce) (Subject to a Rule)
Continue Consideration of H.R. 2584 - Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, FY 2012 (Rep. Simpson – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule)
In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:
Senate Floor Schedule for Monday, July 25, 2011
Convenes: 2:00pm
The Senate will convene at 2:00pm on Monday, July 25, 2011. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 4:30pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
At 3:40pm, the Senate will observe a moment of silence in memory of Officer Jacob J. Chesnut and Detective John M. Gibson of the United States Capitol Police who were killed 13 years ago defending this Capitol against an armed intruder.
Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following nominations, en bloc:
- Calendar #83 Paul A. Engelmayer, of New York, to be US District Judge for the Southern District of New York and
- Calendar #84 Ramona Villagomez Manglona, of the Northern Mariana Islands, to be District Judge for the Northern Mariana Islands for a term of ten years.
With one hour for debate equally divided in the usual form.
Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), the Senate will conduct a roll call vote on confirmation of Calendar #83. Calendar #84 is expected to be confirmed by voice vote.