This Week In Congress (TWIC)
Your One Stop Shop For Learning What Our Congress Critters Are Up To!
Every week Congress is in session (usually on Sunday evening or Monday morning) I recap the previous week’s important legislative and committee activity and look ahead to what Congress has planned for the coming week, with my 2 cents of opinion from time to time of course. Also, this week as an added bonus, a Speech of the Week (SOTW) that definitely deserves a round of applause!
WARNING: It’s a long post this week. Lot’s going on!
Hope you find it both informative and worthy of discussion in the comments section.
Here Are The Previous Week’s Headlines:
Speech Of The Week — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Lays Into Justice Thomas In A Righteous Rant!
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House Passes $40.1 Billion in Ukraine Aid in a Stand Alone Bill, and Other Pro-Ukraine / Anti Russia Bills!
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Senate Democrats Hold Vote On Abortion Rights Forcing Republicans To Commit To Supporting The SCOTUS Draft Decision To Overturn Roe!
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Rand Paul Single Handedly Delays Senate Vote On Ukraine Aid!
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Jan. 6 Committee Issues Subpoenas To Five GOP House Members!
Speech of the Week — Some of you may have already saw Rep. Hakeem Jeffries go of on Justice Clarence Thomas for his flip remark about the SCOTUS draft Roe decision posted on DK earlier this week by Walter Einenkel. If you did, it certainly deserves a second look. If you haven’t, Buckle in Buck-a-roos you’re in for a wild ride.
First, let me give you the premise that set Rep. Jeffries off, from the Walter Einenkel Post:
Justice Clarence Thomas was quoted on Friday as having said he’s all hot and bothered about how the “respect” for institutions is “eroding.” He directly attacked protesters of the leaked Roe decision, saying they are clearly unable to “live with outcomes we don’t agree with.” Jeffries decided to talk directly to suspected sexual harasser Thomas about people who are unable to “live with outcomes” they “don’t agree with.”
For those of us who are tired of our side having to play nice while the other side breaks all the rules and tired of being lectured down to by Conservative Ass Hats like Thomas,
Time to roll the tape!
The whole thing was GREAT, but here’s my favorite part, where Jeffries directly addresses Thomas’s statement on people who are unable to live with outcomes they don’t agree with:
If he [Thomas] “really wants to deal with bullying in America, or this problem of people supposedly unwilling to accept outcomes that they don’t like, I’ve got some advice for Justice Thomas. Start in your own home.”
“Have a conversation with Ginni Thomas.”
“[Ginni Thomas] refused to accept the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. Why? Because she didn’t like the outcome. And so instead, she tried to steal the election, overthrow the United States government, and install a tyrant. That’s bullying.”
WOW! Hands Clapping 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 for Mr. Jeffries for being one of the few Democrats not afraid of holding anything back!
Now back to your regular weekly programming.
Legislative Activity -
House:
1. 5/10/22 — House Resolution 7691 (H.R. 7691) - Vote on Passage of H.R.7691 - Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act — This bill provides $40.1 billion in FY2022 emergency supplemental appropriations for activities to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The bill provides appropriations to several federal departments and agencies, including
- the Department of Justice,
- the Department of Defense,
- the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
- the Department of Health and Human Services,
- the Department of State,
- the U.S. Agency for International Development,
- the Department of Agriculture, and
- the Department of the Treasury.
Among other things, the bill provides appropriations for defense equipment, migration and refugee assistance, regulatory and technical support regarding nuclear power issues, emergency food assistance, economic assistance, and seizures of property related to the invasion.
(You can read the Full Text of the Bill HERE).
Democrats- 219 Yes 0 No 0 Present 2 Not Voting
Republicans- 149 Yes 57 No 0 Present 3 Not Voting
Independents- 0 Yes 0 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Totals- 368 Yes 57 No 0 Present 5 Not Voting
PASSED
Voting Details HERE.
2. 5/11/22 — House Resolution 7066 (H.R. 7066) — Vote on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R.7066 - Russia and Belarus Financial Sanctions Act — This bill requires a U.S. financial institution to take all necessary and available actions to ensure any entity or person owned or controlled by such institution complies with financial sanctions applicable to Russia or Belarus to the same extent required of that institution. (You can read the Full Text of the Bill HERE).
Democrats- 216 Yes 0 No 0 Present 4 Not Voting
Republicans- 202 Yes 2 No 0 Present 4 Not Voting
Independents- 0 Yes 0 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Totals- 418 Yes 2 No 0 Present 8 Not Voting
PASSED (2/3s Needed To Pass)
Voting Details HERE.
3. 5/11/22 — House Resolution 7081 (H.R. 7081) — Vote on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R.7081 - Ukraine Comprehensive Debt Payment Relief Act — This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to make efforts to secure debt relief for Ukraine.
Specifically, Treasury must order U.S. representatives to international financial institutions to advocate for such institutions to (1) immediately suspend all debt service payments owed by Ukraine to the respective institution, (2) provide concessional financial assistance to Ukraine, and (3) provide economic support for refugees from Ukraine (including refugees of African descent) and the countries receiving such refugees.
Treasury must also immediately pursue, through bilateral and multilateral frameworks, comprehensive debt payment relief for Ukraine from other governments and commercial creditor groups. (You can read the Full Text of the Bill HERE).
Democrats- 216 Yes 0 No 0 Present 4 Not Voting
Republicans- 146 Yes 56 No 0 Present 6 Not Voting
Independents- 0 Yes 0 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Totals- 362 Yes 56 No 0 Present 10 Not Voting
PASSED (2/3s Needed To Pass)
Voting Details HERE.
4. 5/11/22 — House Resolution 6891 (H.R. 6891) — Vote on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R.6891 - Isolate Russian Government Officials Act — This bill requires the Department of the Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to take all necessary steps to exclude Russian government officials, to the maximum extent practicable, from certain international meetings, including the activities of the Group of 20, the Basel Committee for Banking Standards, and the Bank for International Settlements.
This requirement shall be in effect until the earlier of five years after the bill's enactment or 30 days after the President reports to Congress that Russia's government has ceased activities to destabilize Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The President may also waive this requirement upon reporting to Congress that doing so is in the national interest of the United States. (You can read the Full Text of the Bill HERE).
Democrats- 215 Yes 0 No 0 Present 5 Not Voting
Republicans- 201 Yes 2 No 0 Present 5 Not Voting
Independents- 0 Yes 0 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Totals- 416 Yes 2 No 0 Present 10 Not Voting
PASSED (2/3s Needed To Pass)
Voting Details HERE.
5. 5/11/22 — House Resolution 6899 (H.R. 6899) — Vote on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R.6899 - Russia and Belarus SDR Exchange Prohibition Act — This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from engaging in any transaction involving the exchange of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) held by Russia or Belarus and requires Treasury to take actions to oppose financial assistance to Russia or Belarus.
The SDR is an international reserve asset maintained by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) based on contributions from IMF member countries. SDRs may be exchanged between member countries and may also be exchanged for currencies.
Treasury must also (1) vigorously advocate for IMF member countries to prohibit transactions involving the exchange of SDRs held by Russia or Belarus, and (2) direct U.S. representatives to each international financial institution to oppose providing financial assistance to Russia or Belarus except to address the basic human needs of their civilian populations.
The bill's provisions shall be in effect until the earlier of (1) five years after this bill's enactment, or (2) 30 days after the President reports to Congress that the governments of Russia and Belarus have ceased destabilizing activities directed at Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The President may also waive the provisions upon reporting to Congress that doing so is in the national interest of the United States. (You can read the Full Text of the Bill HERE).
Democrats- 215 Yes 0 No 0 Present 5 Not Voting
Republicans- 202 Yes 2 No 0 Present 4 Not Voting
Independents- 0 Yes 0 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Totals- 417 Yes 2 No 0 Present 9 Not Voting
PASSED (2/3s Needed To Pass)
Voting Details HERE.
Details & Commentary — If you will look at the above 5 Bills passed by the House last week, you will notice an obvious trend. They are all pro-Ukraine / Anti-Russia pieces of legislation including the star of the show, $40.1 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to provide military and non-military aid to Ukraine. Yes, the House passed other more domestic pieces of legislation this week, but none of such consequence and most involving naming of Post Offices, Whoop-Te- Do!
Now if you have read some of my recent previous TWIC posts (Here, Here & Here) you already know how strongly I feel about passing these “stand alone” Ukraine Bills without attaching at least some of Biden’s stalled domestic agenda. Namely, the fact that I believe Democrats are blowing an amazing political opportunity by not tagging on one or two specific highly popular items from the stalled BBB Bill (e.g., Medicare Drug Price Negotiation, $35 Insulin Cap, Electric Car Rebates, etc.) and putting Republicans on the hot seat. Now, don’t get me wrong, I understand the vital importance of passing aid to Ukraine in a timely manner, but it seems to me that if such a Ukraine aid Bill failed in the Senate due to GOP obstruction over the popular domestic items, it would only take a couple of days to pull out the domestic items and pass a Ukraine only Bill.
Even if we set aside including BBB items in Ukraine legislation, this past week the Democrats squandered another golden opportunity. House Leadership was originally considering including the domestically VITAL COVID funding in the $40.1 billion Ukraine Aid Bill in a way of getting it passed the Senate blockade (GOP Senators are blocking the COVID funding Bill because it does not include a legislative extension of Trump’s Remain in Mexico / Anti-Asylum Seekers policy that is due to expire in a few days, unless extended by the Courts. Funny how Republicans say it’s necessary to keep the policy in place to protect us all from the further spread of COVID (FALSE), while the same Republicans say masks and vaccinations are not necessary (ALSO FALSE)). But apparently five (5) Democrats in the House (unsure of the names) informed Leadership that they were opposed to the idea of including the COVID funding in the Ukraine Bill, reportedly because they felt its inclusion would stall the entire Bill in the Senate. As a result, Pelosi and Dem. Leadership decided to not attach the COVID funding in order to avoid a delay in passing the Ukraine Aid Bill in the Senate, a delay that is happening anyway (more on that under the Senate section below).
So instead of the Democrats playing political HARDBALL against the Republicans, the Republicans are playing political HARDBALL against the Democrats. Worst of all, most likely forcing the Democrats to either agree to Republicans demands to include an indefinite extension of Trump’s Anti-Asylum policy or drop the VITAL COVID funding entirely. SO FRUSTRATING!
Before I move on to the Senate, just some comment on the vote totals of the Ukraine Bills. If you notice 3 of the 5 Bills involve punishing Russia and 2 involve aid to Ukraine. It seems that when it comes to punishing Russia, all but 2 Republicans are “yes” votes. But when it comes to providing aid to Ukraine the number of GOP “no” votes jumps up to 56 & 57. Why is that? I have no idea, nor do I care to speculate on what motivates Republicans these days. BTW — The Republicans who voted “no” on all 5 Bills were Greene (GA) & Massie, the pro-Putin caucus of two. Why am I not surprised!
Senate:
1. 5/11/22 — Senate Resolution 4132 (S. 4132) - Vote on Cloture on the Motion to Proceed: Motion to Invoke Cloture pertaining Motion to Proceed to S.4132 - Women’s Health Protection Act — This bill prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion services. (You can read a more complete summary of the Bill HERE or the Full Text of the Bill HERE).
Democrats- 47 Yes 1 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Republicans- 0 Yes 50 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Independents- 2 Yes 0 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
Totals- 49 Yes 51 No 0 Present 0 Not Voting
PREJECTED (60 Votes Needed To Pass)
Voting Details HERE.
Details & Commentary —
- S.4132 - Women’s Health Protection Act — Probably all of you already know a ton about what happened with the Abortion Bill pertaining to the righteous uproar over the leaked SCOTUS Draft decision. So I will refrain from adding my 2 cents to the pile. But I would like touch on some of the idiots I heard in the MSM who asked various Senate Democrats similar versions of the following STUPID question:
If you know this Abortion Rights Bill has no chance of passage in the Senate, why are Democrats trying to bring it to the Floor?
I have one response to these Media Morons:
Because There is Political Value in Failure!
I applaud Chuck Schumer and the other Democratic Leaders in the Senate for trying to bring this Bill to the floor and getting every Senate Republican on the record as being in opposition of Abortion Rights! Sure it wasn’t a unified front in that Manchin voted against it as expected. He stated he wanted a more narrow (watered down version), but who really still gives a crap about what Manchin wants anymore. Not I! I would note that Sinema did vote “yes”, but for her it was likely more than a symbolic vote since there is little chance that she would support a carve out of the filibuster which would be the only way to get the Bill passed.
The important thing is it got every Republican on the record as being Anti-Abortion, even when some of them like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine “claim” to be Pro-Choice. Sorry Ladies, your voting record on the matter speaks volumes to the contrary. Granted a few Republicans from deep Red States probably welcomed the opportunity to once again display their Pro-Life Anti-Choice bonafedes to their voters. But many are in the Dog Who Caught The Car position, and want to talk about the leak, or the protests in front of Justices homes, or anything except their position on the Draft Roe killing decision itself. But they are all now on the record, and that’s a good thing!
- H.R.7691 - Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act — No, the Senate did not hold a vote on the House passed Ukraine Bill last week, thanks to Rand Paul. Per this Reuter's Report:
The top Democrat and Republican in the U.S. Senate joined forces in a rare moment of unity on Thursday in an attempt to pass $40 billion in aid for Ukraine, only to be stymied by a single Republican lawmaker: Senator Rand Paul.
Faced with the prospect of an extended delay for the package that passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, sought to move forward on the aid package only to be blocked by Paul, a longtime fiscal hawk who objects to the amount of spending proposed.
The stalemate delayed passage of the measure into next week.
The Senate has scheduled an initial procedural vote on the bill for late Monday afternoon. It was unclear whether that vote would then speed passage of the Ukraine aid. Alternatively, passage could come around the middle of next week if any senator wants to force a series of legislative steps before a final vote.
So what does Paul want for his hostage taking? From CNN:
McConnell and Schumer on Thursday offered to allow a vote on Paul's amendment, but he insisted it be added to the underlying bill.
The change Paul is seeking would create a special inspector general to oversee how the Ukraine military aid is spent. Members from both parties broadly agree with that notion, but forcing a change to the bill at this stage would be very time consuming and would slow getting the needed aid to Ukraine.
Yes, it would mean having to send the Bill back to the House which could add days on to its passage.
So we all get this straight, Democrats rejected the idea of playing HARDBALL by including COVID funding in the Bill in order to expedite its passage in the Senate, but one GOP Senator decided to play HARDBALL by blocking a Unanimous Consent Request to rapidly pass the Bill thereby delaying its passage until sometime next week. Great!
Nominations — There were eight (8) Biden nominees confirmed this week by recorded votes. Also, as reported in this Liberal in a Red State post, the Senate confirmed new members of the Postal Service Board of Governors by voice vote this week, finally giving Democrats majority control of the Board. Hopefully this will mean that Louis DeJoy’s days as Postmaster General are numbered.
1. Confirmation: Ann Claire Phillips, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration — Vote 75-22.
2. Confirmation: Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, of California, to be Director of the Office of Science, Department of Energy — Vote 54-45.
3. Confirmation: Lisa DeNell Cook, of Michigan, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System — Vote 50+VP-50.
4. Confirmation: Alvaro M. Bedoya, of Maryland, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner — Vote 50+VP-50.
5. Confirmation: Julia Ruth Gordon, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development — Vote 50+VP-50.
6. Confirmation: Philip Nathan Jefferson, of North Carolina, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System — Vote 91-7.
7. Confirmation: Susan Tsui Grundmann, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority — Vote 50-49.
8. Confirmation: Jerome H. Powell, of Maryland, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System — Vote 80-19.
Committee Activity:
House:
House Jan. 6 Select Committee: Let me apologize upfront in case I missed some important development last week with respect to the Select Committee’s work. Frankly, there is so much happening so fast it’s hard to keep up. But I’ll do my best.
- 5/12/22 — Committee Subpoenas GOP House Members — From ABC News:
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack subpoenaed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and four other Republican members of Congress on Thursday for testimony about events surrounding the Capitol riot and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
McCarthy and the other members -- Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania -- had rejected the committee's voluntary requests for cooperation in recent months.
"Before we hold our hearings next month, we wished to provide members the opportunity to discuss these matters with the committee voluntarily," Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement regarding the subpoenas. "Regrettably, the individuals receiving subpoenas today have refused and we're forced to take this step to help ensure the committee uncovers facts concerning January 6th. We urge our colleagues to comply with the law, do their patriotic duty, and cooperate with our investigation as hundreds of other witnesses have done."
The subpoenas mark a dramatic escalation in the committee's tactics and follow weeks of internal debate over whether to try to force Republicans to testify behind closed doors about their conversations with former President Donald Trump and involvement in various parts of the effort to overturn the election and contest the certification of the results.
More from POLITICO:
The subpoenas issued to five House Republicans by the Jan. 6 select committee remained shrouded in secrecy Friday, with lawmakers refusing to describe the scope or contents of the historic demands.
Members of the select committee declined to say whether they had also subpoenaed telecom companies to obtain the phone and email records of the GOP lawmakers — a step they’ve taken with dozens, if not hundreds, of other witnesses. And they wouldn’t specify whether the subpoenas demand their Republican colleagues’ documents, in addition to their testimony.
Select committee members are also saying little about how they will confront the likelihood that none of the five subpoena targets — House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and Reps. Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks and Andy Biggs — cooperate by late-May deadlines. But they repeatedly vowed to take some as-yet-undefined action, should that be the case.
“We will take some action,” said Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompson. “I’m not sure exactly what it will be.”
Details & Commentary —
Make no mistake about it, subpoenaing GOP House Members is A BIG “F”-in Deal! It is not something that is done lightly, especially among Democrats who are usually reluctant to push the political envelope. It suggests that there is highly valuable information these Representatives have regarding the Coup Attempt and the 1/6 Insurrection since evidence indicates that they were deeply involved in one or both crimes. It has to be more than simply providing these members a forum for telling their side of the story since they could have done that through complying with the earlier voluntary request. Furthermore, it suggests that the Committee has a lot more damning evidence against all the criminals involved than has currently been made public, as been hinted at by some Committee Members. What happens next? I will explore that question under Next Week in Congress below.
Senate: No significant Committee action last week.
Next Week in Congress: Here is your
C-Span Link where you can view some of next week’s events.
Here Are The Coming Week’s Headlines:
Senate Will Try To Pass House Passed Ukraine Aid Legislation This Week!
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Senate Discussion Of Alternative (More Moderate) Abortion Rights Bill Ongoing Behind The Scenes
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COVID Funding Bill?
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Jan. 6 Committee — Subpoena Enforcement? More Subpoenas of Congress Members Possible!
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House Hearings On Baby Formula Mess This Week!
Legislative Activity —
House: According to the House Majority Leader's Page the House will be in Legislative Session from May 16 through May 19. No information I could find as to what legislation might come to the floor this week. We’ll just have to wing it.
Senate:
Per the Senate's Web Site, the Senate will convene on Monday, May 16 and resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R.7691, Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022.
- H.R.7691 - Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act — Because of Senator Rand Paul’s denial of a Unanimous Consent Request last week (as discussed above), the Senate is forced to continue debate on the Motion to bring the Ukraine Bill to the Senate Floor, which will end in a Cloture Vote sometime on Monday. That Cloture Vote will pass by a large margin above the 60 votes needed because other than Paul, this Bill has wide Bipartisan support. But that only gets the Bill to the floor to start debate on the Bill itself. After that look for Schumer to make another Unanimous Consent Request to cut through the “normal” Senate procedure (i.e., filibuster) and move to an immediate vote on the Bill. Whether Paul will Object will depend on whether a behind the scenes, face saving deal, can be struck with Paul before Monday. If not, we are in for another Cloture Vote and another 30 hours of Post-Cloture debate. We will see.
- Another Abortion Rights Bill? — After the Cloture Vote failure last week, Senator Dick Durbin suggested that another version of the Women’s Health Protection Act may be under discussion behind the scenes. Manchin, Collins and Murkowski are apparently discussing a paired down version of the Bill most likely containing an abbreviated list of situations where abortion would be legal (e.g., life of the mother, victims of rape or incest, etc.). They of course want a watered down version that they could vote for in order to avoid being labeled by their votes last week as Anti-Abortion with no exceptions. Regardless of what Bill they may or may not come up with in the next few weeks, it will certainly not get enough GOP votes to overcome the 60 vote filibuster threshold, so the Bill would go nowhere. Whether the Senate Democrats should agree to such a vote on a watered down Women’s Health Protection Act has its Pros & Cons:
Pro — A vote would label the majority of Republican Senators as being against abortion in virtually all situations, even in cases of incest, rape or danger to the Women’s life/health. That would have additional political value in the Fall.
Con — It would allow some Republicans (and Joe Manchin) to vote for some Abortion Rights and avoid being labeled as Anti-Abortion hardliners. No reason why we should do any Republican (and Manchin) such a favor.
What do you think?
— COVID Funding Legislation? — I see little chance of getting the COVID funding Bill through the Senate unless Democrats cave and agree to making a virtually permanent ban on asylum seekers part of the Bill. However, you view it, such an agreement might come to pass as COVID Aid becomes more critical, and since it has support among some Democratic Senators for purely personal political reasons (e.g. Kelly (AZ) re-election bid). Also, it may depend on what the Courts do with the issue. If they uphold the Trump policy, Dems. may see little reason to continue to hold out on incorporating some sort of extension to the Asylum Ban. We will see!
Future Domestic Legislation Commentary — I’ll have more to say on this topic in the coming weeks before the mid-terms. But for now, like with the Abortion vote, I have to ask will the Democrats see:
Political Value in Failure!
There is little chance to that we can get any of Biden’s domestic agenda passed before the mid-terms. Manchin and Sinema have all but shut the door on voting for any of it through Budget Reconciliation (non-filibuster simple majority vote).
But does that mean we shouldn’t hold such votes anyway?
What about some popular legislation to deal with gas prices?
What about Elizabeth Warren’s idea to put Big Oil and their GOP friends in Congress on the HOT SEAT! From this Joan McCarter Post:
Warren has advocated for legislation giving the Federal Trade Commission authority to investigate price gouging. Put the bill on the floor, she says, and “dare the Republicans to vote against it. A clean, simple bill.”
“Let’s put it to the Republicans. Do they care about price gouging from the perspective of helping the consumers? Or from the perspective of letting the big corporations continue to get away with it?” Democratic leadership indicated Thursday that they’re all for it.
“There’s no excuse for big oil companies to profiteer, to price gouge or exploit families,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. “Congress must do more to beef up the FTC’s ability to crack down on potential gas price manipulation and price gouging,” added Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Republicans will face a dilemma: Which side are they on?” Schumer said. “On the consumer and lowering gas prices? Or on the side of the big oil?”
Imagine Republicans voting for Big Oil profits and against the poor American Consumer as they seek re-election! Political gold.
Or
How about Senator Maggie Hassan's Bill to suspend the Federal Gas Tax for a year and require a commensurate gas price reduction. She tried to pass this by Unanimous Consent a couple of weeks ago, and guess what she was blocked by a Republican! Imagine holding a vote where Republicans vote against lowering gas taxes as they seek re-election! Political gold.
Or
How about a simple Bill from the BBB that provides sizable government rebates for the purchase of Electric Vehicles, allowing at least some Americans to end their gas price nightmare/
These are but a few examples of how to put the Republicans back on their heels and improve our chances of increasing our majorities in the House and Senate. More to come in the coming weeks.
Committee Activity:
House: According to both the House Schedule of Committee Meetings/ Hearings for the week:
Monday, May 16
Tuesday, May 17
Wednesday, May 18
Thursday, May 19
Mostly 2023 Budgetary Hearings, but below are some you may find interesting:
5/18/22 —
1. Hearing: Revoking Your Rights: The Ongoing Crisis in Abortion Care Access
10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB
2. Hearing: Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Food and Drug Administration
10:00 AM
Host: Committee on Appropriations | Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (See Baby Formula Committees below).
House Jan. 6 Select Committee: According to the Committee's Official Schedule there are no Committee meetings/Hearings scheduled this week. But a lot continues to happen behind the scenes. Here are somethings to watch for in the near future:
- Committee Subpoenas of GOP House Members — With the subpoenas issued and each of the five House Members saying they won’t comply, what happens next if they don’t?
The only thing semi-official we have from the Committee on this question is the following statement by Chairman Thompson:
“We will take some action,” said Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompson. “I’m not sure exactly what it will be.”
Sorry Bennie, I find that hard to believe. I don’t see how you take the leap of the subpoena cliff knowing that it is inevitable that those subpoenaed will not comply, and not know in advance what you (the Committee) will do when they don’t comply. I’m just not buying it.
Anyway here are the Committee’s Options as I see it:
1. Do Nothing — Just let them get away with defying their subpoenas and say they lost their opportunity to tell their stories, now others will tell it for them. This choice pretty much decimates Congress’s subpoena power.
2. Recommend Referral To DoJ For Enforcement — This would toss them over to DoJ like they have done for the others who have defied subpoenas. Whether DoJ decides to prosecute or not, it’s unlikely to lead to resolution in time for the Committee to get their testimony in a timely manner.
3. File A Civil Lawsuit Against Them — This would be similar to #2 except the Committee itself would pursue enforcement. But again it’s unlikely to lead to resolution in time for the Committee to get their testimony in a timely manner.
4. Recommend A Censure Resolution — Censuring these clowns, assuming it would pass the House, would amount to a slap on the wrist and again will not get them to cooperate.
4. Charge Them With Inherent Contempt of Congress — This uses the Congress’s Constitutional power to have the House Sargent of Arms arrest and hold the subpoena defiers in the Capitol until they agree to testify. Yes, this is the Nuclear Option, but it is the only one that has the chance of gaining their cooperation in a timely manner. And yes, it’s my favorite.
Maybe we will see some developments on this next week.
- More Committee Subpoenas Next Week? — From Axios:
The Jan. 6 committee may seek testimony from additional lawmakers as soon as next week, ahead of blockbuster TV hearings that kick off next month, Axios has learned.
Driving the news: Chiefs of staff and other aides to members of the House select committee were told Friday on their weekly call with committee staff to brace for more bombshells ahead of the June 9 start to public hearings, according to two sources on the call.
- The briefers did not say which lawmakers will be contacted, or whether they intended to issue more subpoenas, the sources told Axios.
- The Jan. 6 committee declined to comment.
Stay Tuned!
- Committees To Investigate Baby Formula Debacle —
- House Appropriations Committee — From the Committee's Press Release:
House Committee on Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and House Appropriations Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chair Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-02) today announced that the House Appropriations Committee will be holding two hearings to examine the recall of infant formula produced at an Abbott facility, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) handling of the recall, and the nationwide infant formula shortage.
“The House Appropriations Committee is leading the way in examining the contaminated infant formula produced at an Abbott facility that led to at least 4 hospitalizations and the deaths of at least 2 babies, the FDA’s delayed response to this horrific incident, and the subsequent nationwide infant formula shortage,” said Chair DeLauro. “The whistleblower report I submitted for the record details a culture at Abbott of falsifying records, turning a blind eye to safety and product concerns, and retaliating against any employee who brought these issues to light. It is not enough to simply focus on supply chain issues. We must examine many states’ reliance on infant formula produced by Abbott. We must ensure federal food safety agencies are doing their job. And lastly, we need to find solutions that keep our children fed and prevent this contamination and shortage from ever happening again. I look forward to hearing from Commissioner Califf and a panel of experts on this critical issue.”
“It is deeply concerning that a lapse in infant formula safety has led to the death and hospitalization of at least two babies. This problem is made worse because many families and state nutrition programs rely on the infant formula supplier in question, and the recall has resulted in a shortage. These hearings will help Congress move quickly to investigate and address these problems,” said Subcommittee Chair Bishop. “I look forward to our discussions so that families across the country can count on having access to safe, affordable, and vital nutrition for their young children.”
On May 19 at 10:00 AM, the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee will be holding a hearing with Commissioner Robert M. Califf on the FDA’s fiscal year 2023 budget request as well as oversight of infant formula. Details on the May 25 hearing with a panel of experts to follow.
— House Oversight and Reform Committee — From The Hill:
The House Oversight and Reform Committee is launching an investigation into the ongoing baby formula shortage, pressing the four largest domestic manufacturers for documents and information about the steps they are taking to alleviate the crisis.
The four companies — Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestlé and Perrigo — control nearly 90 percent of the U.S. market for baby formula.
“The national formula shortage poses a threat to the health and economic security of infants and families in communities throughout the country—particularly those with less income who have historically experienced health inequities, including food insecurity,” committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) wrote to the companies.
The lawmakers asked if the companies have enough supply to meet current demand and what steps they are taking to lower prices, prevent price gouging and increase consumer access.
Maloney and Krishnamoorthi said the committee wants a briefing and responses from the manufacturers by May 26.
Senate:
Here is the list of Senate Committee Hearings/Meetings for the coming week. Mostly Hearings on the proposed 2023 Budget and Nominations, but here are some that might prove interesting .
1.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
2:30 PM – SD-226 |
Judiciary
Subcommittee on Constitution |
Hearings to examine stopping gun violence, focusing on the Jackson-Elias Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act.
|
2.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
11:00 AM – SR-301 |
Rules and Administration |
Hearings to examine administration of upcoming elections. |
That’s All until Next Week! See Ya Then!