While there were hopes earlier in the day yesterday that the text of the omnibus spending for the rest of FY2018 would get released last night, ultimately, the contents of the bill were not shared yesterday. As noted yesterday, the hurdles in the discussions have been a number of policy riders.
Office of Federal Relations will continue to track the situation.
Here is a selection of congressional committee meetings taking place this week.
U.S. House of Representatives
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
Subcommittee Hearing
Education Budget
March 20, 10 a.m., 2358-C Rayburn Bldg.
HOUSE ENERGY & COMMERCE
Subcommittee Hearing
DEA Combating the Opioid Epidemic
March 20, 10 a.m., 2322 Rayburn Bldg.
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Subcommittee Hearing
2017 Wildfire Impacts
March 20, 10:30 a.m., 2167 Rayburn Bldg.
HOUSE WAYS & MEANS
Subcommittee Hearing
Medicare/CHIP Physician Payment Policies
March 21, 2 p.m., 1100 Longworth Bldg.
HOUSE ENERGY & COMMERCE
Subcommittee Hearing
Combating the Opioid Crisis
March 21, 9 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
Subcommittee Hearing
NOAA Budget
March 21, 10 a.m., H-309, U.S. Capitol
HOUSE SELECT INTELLIGENCE
Full Committee Markup
Russian Election Tampering Investigation Report
March 22, 9 a.m., HVC-304, U.S. Capitol
U.S. Senate
SENATE JUDICIARY
Full Committee Hearing
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization
March 20, 10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
Full Committee Hearing
Energy Budget
March 20, 10 a.m., 366 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE BUDGET
Full Committee Hearing
President’s Economic Report
March 21, 10:30 a.m., 608 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
Full Committee Hearing
Western Water Supply/Water Infrastructure/Drought Resiliency
March 22, 10 a.m., 366 Dirksen Bldg.
The short-term measure that is currently funding the majority of the government functions is set to expire Friday night/Saturday morning, when Congress is scheduled to begin a two-week spring recess. Congress is currently working on a massive omnibus spending package that would fund the government through the rest of FY2018. To provide additional budget room for the crafting of such a deal, a larger two-year budget agreement that was reached last month provides an extra $63 billion for non-defense and $80 billion for defense discretionary programs for the remainder of FY2018, which ends on September 30.
While agreements between the two parties have been reached on the vast majority of the decisions around funding levels for different programs and agencies, the sticking points have been a number of policy issues, including whether they would be addressed in the package. These include issues such as a fix for DACA, annual fights over abortion, and funding for a border wall sought by the Administration.
Office of Federal Relations will provide further updates.
Here’s a selection of articles we read this week.
Hot Times in the Arctic – OPINION: “Preparing for future shifts in weather extremes also requires a better understanding of how climate is changing. This will require long-term government investment in surface-based and satellite observations, and in the continued development of new computer models for improved predictions.” – Dr. Cecilia Bitz, professor of atmospheric sciences and director of the Program on Climate Change at UW. Read more from Dr. Bitz at the New York Times.
Antifa is Winning – Richard Spencer, the white nationalist who has been speaking on college campuses in recent months, said Sunday in a video posted on YouTube that he is rethinking his strategy for public events after violent protests led by Antifa and other opponents. Read more from the Washington Post.
Who Can Fix College Athletics? – In Orwell’s “1984,” Winston Smith throws news articles into the memory hole when past truths no longer suit Big Brother’s present needs. The NCAA version is called “vacating wins.” Although intended to punish schools for rules violations, the idea that an NCAA decree can erase what was won on a playing field is at once creepy and ridiculous…. The NCAA’s website claims it “prioritizes academics so student-athletes get the most out of their education.” Does anyone believe that? Read more from the Wall Street Journal.
Who Run the Senate? – Girls. All told, women run the staff of 32 Senate offices, not counting committees — and Republicans are outpacing Democrats. Nineteen female chiefs work for the GOP, compared to just 13 on the other side. That number has grown even in the past few months. Read more from Roll Call.
T-Minus Seven Days – Here we are, once again: Federal spending is set to expire on March 23, leaving Congress a week to negotiate and pass a bill to keep the government open for business. As of Thursday, Republicans and Democrats had yet to agree on what is expected to be a massive $1.3 trillion piece of legislation, leaving Americans with more questions than answers about what Congress plans to do to avoid a third government shutdown this year. Read more from Washington Post.
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced earlier this afternoon that he plans to resign from the Senate April 1. First elected to the Senate in 1978, he has been battling health issues for a number of months.