Weekly Washington Outlook — June 1, 2015

What to Watch This Week:

Congress:

House:

On Monday, the House will consider legislation under suspension of the rules:

• R. 404 – To authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska (Sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith / Natural Resources Committee) 
• R. 533 – To revoke the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Markwayne Mullin / Natural Resources Committee) 
• R. 1168 – Native American Children’s Safety Act (Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Cramer / Natural Resources Committee) 
• R. 979 – To designate a mountain in the John Muir Wilderness of the Sierra National Forest as “Sky Point” (Sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock / Natural Resources Committee)
• R. 336 – To direct the Administrator of General Services, on behalf of the Archivist of the United States, to convey certain Federal property located in the State of Alaska to the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska (Sponsored by Rep. Don Young / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) 
• R. 944 – To reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other purposes (Sponsored by Rep. Frank LoBiondo / Transportation and Infrastructure Committee) 
• 802 – Girls Count Act of 2015 (Sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio / Foreign Affairs Committee) 
• R. 1493 – Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel / Foreign Affairs Committee)

On Monday the House will also consider H.R. 1335 – Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act, Rules Committee Print (Structured Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Don Young / Natural Resources Committee)

On Tuesday and the balance of the week the House will vote on H.R. 2578 – Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. John Culberson / Appropriations Committee). In addition the House may also begin consideration of H.R. 2577 – Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart / Appropriations Committee) as well as legislation related to expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act.

Senate:

On Monday, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R.2048, USA Freedom Act, which would end the NSA’s bulk data collection. Later in the week, the Senate will take up its version of a defense authorization bill.

White House:

On Monday, President Obama will host Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands for a meeting in the Oval Office. In the afternoon, the president will host a discussion at the White House with a group of 75 young Southeast Asian Leaders on themes of civic engagement, environment and natural resources management and entrepreneurship. The group is the first cohort from the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Fellows Program. The fellows, ages 18-35 years old, hail from all 10 ASEAN countries and have just completed their five week fellowship in the United States to enhance their practical expertise, leadership skills, and professional contacts to address challenges and create new opportunities in their home communities and countries.

On Tuesday, President Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Army Sergeant William Shemin and Army Private Henry Johnson for conspicuous gallantry during World War I.

On Wednesday, the president will attend meetings at the White House.

On Thursday, President Obama will welcome the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants to the White House to honor the team and their 2014 World Series victory. The president will also recognize the efforts the Giants make to give back to their community as part of their visit, continuing the tradition begun by President Obama of honoring sports teams for their efforts on and off the field.

On Friday, the president will attend meetings at the White House.

Also This Week:

Appropriations – The House will vote this week on its Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill. The bill as passed out of Committee includes deep spending cuts to the census, juvenile justice programs, and legal services. More details are available in OMB Director Shaun Donovan’s letter to the Appropriations Committee. The House may also begin consideration of its Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill as well. Immigration policy riders are possible on both bills.

Education – Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy once again included the Student Success Act (H.R. 5) in his memo of legislation for this work period. The bill is not on this week’s calendar and timing to bring this back to the floor remains uncertain due to lack of Republican support. In the Senate, the Every Child Achieves Act could be brought to the floor as soon as next week, although many staff members believe this will slip to later in the month or July. In the meantime, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday on college affordability as part of its ongoing process to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

Health – The House Ways and Means Committee will mark up a bill to repeal the Medical Device Tax on Tuesday. The tax was levied under the Affordable Care Act and has been the subject of intense lobbying from manufacturers. Elsewhere, the Joint Economic Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday on the ACA’s effects on employment. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts Subcommittee will hold a hearing Thursday “Rewriting the Law: Examining the Process that Led to the Obamacare Subsidy Rule.”