Weekly Washington Outlook — February 8, 2016

 

What to Watch This Week:

Congress:

House:

On Tuesday, the House will vote on legislation under suspension of the rules:

• R. 3016– Veterans Employment, Education, and Healthcare Improvement Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Brad Wenstrup / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
• R. 3106– Construction Reform Act of 2016, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
• R. 2360– Career-Ready Student Veterans Act (Sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
• R. 3262– To provide for the conveyance of land of the Illiana Health Care System of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Danville, Illinois (Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
• R. 4056– To Authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to convey to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs all right, title, and interest of the United States to the property known as “The Community Living Center” at the Lake Baldwin Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, Orlando, Florida, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. John Mica / Veterans’ Affairs)
• R. 677– American Heroes COLA Act of 2015, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ralph Abraham / Veterans’ Affairs)
• R. 4437– To extend the deadline for the submittal of the final report required by the Commission on Care (Sponsored by Rep.Jeff Miller / Veterans’ Affairs)
• R. 3234– VA Medical Center Recovery Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Martha Roby / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
• R. 2915– Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act (Sponsored by Rep. Julia Brownley / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
• R. 3036– 9/11 Memorial Act (Sponsored by Rep. Tom MacArthur / Natural Resources Committee)
• R. 890– To correct the boundaries of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Unit P16 (Sponsored by Rep. Curt Clawson / Natural Resources Committee)
• R. 3894– To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the prompt notification of State Child Protective Services by military and civilian personnel of the Department of Defense required by law to report suspected instances of child abuse and neglect (Sponsored by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / Armed Services Committee)

On Wednesday, the House will consider the following:

• R. 3293– Scientific Research in the National Interest Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith / Science, Space, and Technology Committee)
• R. 3442– Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2015 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Kenny Marchant / Ways and Means Committee)

 The balance of the week, the House will consider the following:

• R. 2017– Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015 (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers / Energy and Commerce Committee)

Senate:

On Monday, the Senate will consider the nomination of Rebecca Ebinger to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa.

On Tuesday and the balance of the week, the Senate will resume consideration of S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act, as well as additional economic sanctions for North Korea in response to the country’s latest long-range missile test.

White House:

On Monday, the president will host President Sergio Mattarella of Italy at the White House. During their meeting, the leaders will discuss shared efforts to counter ISIL and the global refugee crisis. They will also exchange views on economic developments in Europe and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

On Tuesday, President Obama will attend meetings at the White House.

On Wednesday, nine years after he announced his candidacy for president, the president will return to the place where his political career began by traveling to Springfield, Ill. In the evening, the president will travel to the San Jose, Calif. area.

On Thursday, President Obama will attend a DSCC event and a DNC event. Later in the day, the president will travel to the Los Angeles area to tape an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and attend DNC events.

On Friday, President Obama will travel to the Palm Springs, Calif. area. On Monday, February 15th and Tuesday, February 16th, the president will host a summit with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, Calif. to continue important conversations about the Asia-Pacific region. Following the conclusion of the summit, President Obama will return to Washington.

Also this Week:

Budget – The president will release his final budget on Tuesday. While Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan is not scheduled to testify, a number of Administration officials will appear on Capitol Hill with their requests. Among these, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will testify Thursday before the House Appropriations Committee’s Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on Thursday. He will also appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday. Health and Human Services Secretary Burwell will make her budget request to the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. In addition, Secretary Burwell will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will appear before the same Committee on Thursday.

Monetary Policy – Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen is scheduled to testify on Wednesday before the House Financial Services Committee, as well as Thursday before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. She will answer questions about her semiannual monetary report to Congress.

Immigration – The House Judiciary Committee will convene Thursday to hear about the EB-5 Regional Center Program. The EB-5 program enables certain immigrants to obtain green cards, provided they meet standards for commercial investment within the United States. Elsewhere, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing previously postponed on Wednesday on Canada’s fast-track refugee plan and security implications for the United States

Financial Services – The House Financial Services Housing and Insurance Subcommittee has a hearing scheduled Thursday focusing on the “health” of the Federal Housing Administration. Additionally, on Thursday the House Financial Services Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit will hold a hearing to discuss new potential regulations from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), including those on payday loans.

Nutrition – The House will vote on legislation this week (H.R. 2017) that gives restaurants flexibility to comply with Food and Drug Administration regulations on the display of nutritional information.  The vote on this legislation comes as the House Education and Workforce Committee considers how to move forward with a child nutrition reauthorization.  The Senate has put forward a bipartisan reauthorization that is awaiting a floor vote.