Blogs

Congressional Outlook

Congress is back in session this week, with the Senate returning today and the House Tuesday. 

The House of Representatives remains without a Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role on Oct. 3 by a vote of 216-210. After narrowly receiving the House GOP Conference’s nomination last Wednesday by a vote of 113-99, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced a day later that he would withdraw himself from consideration after failing to receive the remaining votes to reach the 217 vote threshold. That left House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who re-entered the race for Speaker and beat Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) for the nomination last Friday, by a vote of 124-81. A second vote lowered the number of no votes for Jordan down to 55, and over the weekend, Rep. Jordan and his allies worked to lower the number further. GOP leaders on the House Appropriations and Armed Services Committees originally planned to form a bloc to block Rep. Jordan’s bid to become Speaker. However, the move was short-lived as Speaker nominee Jordan recently won over the votes of House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Chair Ken Calvert (R-Calif). Chair Rodgers shared in a message of support for Jordan that they “agreed on the need for Congress to pass a strong NDAA, appropriations to fund our government’s vital functions and other important legislation like the Farm Bill.” As Jordan closes in on the Speaker role, many expect a Tuesday vote on the House floor. When the floor vote occurs Tuesday afternoon, Republican opposition to Speaker nominee Jordan is expected to nominate an alternative option.

As the House remains at a standstill deciding on a Speaker, the Senate is also facing roadblocks to passing legislation. The upper chamber plans to continue consideration of the three-bill FY 2024 appropriations package (Agriculture, Military Construction – Veterans Affairs, and Transportation – Housing and Urban Development spending bills) which was initially considered beginning on September 12. Many lawmakers are concerned that there will not be enough time to fund the federal government beyond Friday, November 17 and pass aid for Israel and Ukraine. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced that he will work to craft the “most generous package possible” to assist Israel and hopes the legislation will pass in the next few weeks.

If a Speaker of the House is elected this week, the House will consider five suspension bills, including the Modernizing the Acquisition of Cybersecurity Experts Act of 2023 (H.R. 4502), allowing Federal agencies to establish educational requirements for certain cybersecurity positions in the competitive service. The House will also vote on two FY 2024 Appropriations bills, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (H.R. 4364) and the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act (H.R. 4394). The Senate will vote on the nominations of Jennifer Hall to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Delaware, Julia Munley to be a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Karla Gilbride to be General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

For the remainder of the week, the Senate will hold several hearings, including a Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on “How Community Development Financial Institutions Promote Housing and Economic Opportunity”; and an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to “Examine the Department of Energy’s Decision-Making Process for Awarding Competitive Loans and Grants Funded Through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.” The House will hold an Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing on “Strengthening Biosafety and Biosecurity Standards: Protecting Against Future Pandemics;” and a Small Business hearing on “Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Effects of DOL Rulemaking on America’s Job Creators.”