As expected, the long-awaited proposal released Wednesday. Negotiated by the “Big Six” — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orin Hatch — is heavy on promoting the Republican tax cut desires and light when it comes to explaining whose taxes will have to go up to help control costs. There is still a lot unknown about the plan with any specificity. While there is an agreement that the tax cut proposal will have some deficit impact, the plan will partially defray the cost with offsetting tax increases, but how and what will do so remains unclear.
News and updates
This week in Congress, September 25-29
Here are some of the committee meetings taking place on the Hill this week.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM
Subcommittee Hearing
Nuclear Waste Management/Storage
Sept. 26, 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn Bldg.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM
Subcommittee Hearing
Internet of Things Cybersecurity
Sept. 27, 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn Bldg.
HOUSE SCIENCE, SPACE & TECHNOLOGY
Subcommittee Hearing
Science Gains from the Great American Eclipse
Sept. 28, 9:30 a.m., 2318 Rayburn Bldg.
U.S. SENATE
SENATE FINANCE
Full Committee Hearing
Graham-Cassidy Healthcare Reform
2 p.m. Sept. 25, 215 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC WORKS
Full Committee Hearing
Forest Management to Mitigate Wildfires
Sept. 27, 10 a.m., 406 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Full Committee Hearing
Reviewing SBA’s Hurricane Response
Sept. 27, 3 p.m., 428-A Russell Bldg.
SENATE VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
Full Committee Hearing
Veteran Suicide Prevention
Sept. 27, 2:30 p.m., 418 Russell Bldg.
Deal or No Deal?
After dinner last night between President Trump and the two top Congressional Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a number of reports have emerged about whether the three agreed to a deal around a host of immigration issues, including those around how to protect individuals impacted by the repeal of DACA. While the Democratic leaders have stated that an agreement had been reached, the White House and Congressional Republican have pushed back against those assertions. Like other issues that must be dealt by the federal government, the situation on this front also remains fluid.
This week in Congress, September 11-15
Here is a selection of committee meetings taking place this week.
SENATE ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
Subcommittee Hearing
Energy Department National Laboratories
Sept. 12, 2:30 p.m., 366 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE COMMERCE, SCIENCE & TRANSPORTATION
Subcommittee Hearing
Fishery Conservation/Management Oversight
Sept. 12, 2:30 p.m., 253 Russell Bldg.
SENATE FINANCE
Full Committee Hearing
Health Care Cost and Coverage
Sept. 12, 10 a.m., 215 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR & PENSIONS
Full Committee Hearing
Stabilizing Individual Insurance Market
Sept. 12, 10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT & GOVERNMENT REFORM
Full Committee Hearing
Evidence-Based Policymaking
Sept. 12, 10 a.m., 2157 Rayburn Bldg.
SENATE JUDICIARY
Full Committee Hearing
Guest Worker Programs/DACA Reforms
Sept. 13, 10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Bldg.
SENATE AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION & FORESTRY
Full Committee Hearing
Farm Bill/Nutrition Programs
Sept. 14, 9:30 a.m., 216 Hart Bldg.
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR & PENSIONS
Full Committee Hearing
Stabilizing Individual Insurance Market
Sept. 14, 10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
HOUSE ENERGY & COMMERCE
Subcommittee Hearing
Public Health Service Act Workforce Programs
Sept. 14, 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
Hurricane-Debt Ceiling-Short-Term Spending Package Expected to be Cleared
In a surprising development earlier this week, President Trump struck a deal with the Democratic leadership in Congress to link measures that would increase the debt ceiling and keep the government funded on a temporary basis to a hurricane-relief bill. The move caught Congressional Republicans off guard, who had earlier expressed opposition to tying the debt ceiling and government-funding efforts to a bill to fund the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey.
After the House cleared a stand-along hurricane bill totaling approximately $8 billion earlier this week, the Senate followed up by nearly doubling the size of the package as well as increasing the debt limit and funding the government through December 8. The House is expected to take up the Senate-passed package later today.