Both the House and Senate are back in Washington, D.C. Including this week, the House will be in session for six weeks before Election Day on November 5, 2024, while the Senate only has five weeks left.

This week, the House will continue working to advance fiscal year 2025 spending bills and will focus on the Legislative Branch funding package. House appropriators will also hold markups on the Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, Labor-HHS-Education, Interior-Environment, and Transportation-HUD spending bills.

In the upper chamber, Senate appropriators will begin marking up its versions of the Agriculture-FDA, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-VA fiscal year 2025 spending bills. Members will also vote on the top-line spending levels for all 12 fiscal year 2025 bills.

Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has indicated he may force another vote on abortion rights with a bill to restore the protections provided under Roe v. Wade.

The Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next week. Former President Donald Trump is expected to name his running mate in the coming days. Meanwhile, House and Senate Democrats will meet this week as a caucus to discuss President Biden’s renomination.

Administration

NATO will hold its annual summit this week in Washington, celebrating the alliance’s 75th anniversary and bolstering continued support of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

On Tuesday, President Biden will deliver remarks before NATO.

House Votes

On Monday, the House will meet to consider multiple bills under suspension.

• Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
  • H.R. 7377 – Royalty Resiliency Act, as amended (Rep. Hunt – Natural Resources). The bill would require oil and gas leaseholders to make royalty payments based on proposed production allocations until the Interior Department approves a final allocation.
  • H.R. 897 – Alabama Underwater Forest National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act, as amended (Rep. Carl – Natural Resources). The bill would designate a 60,000-year-old preserved cypress forest that is now located off the Alabama Gulf coast under 60 feet of water as a National Marine Sanctuary.
  • H.R. 5770 – Water Monitoring and Tracking Essential Resources (WATER) Data Improvement Act, as amended (Rep. Neguse – Natural Resources). The legislation would reauthorize U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data and groundwater monitoring programs through fiscal year 2028.
  • H.R. 6062 – To restore the ability of the people of American Samoa to approve amendments to the territorial constitution. (Rep. Radewagen – Natural Resources).
  • H.R. 5443 – Accelerating Appraisals and Conservation Efforts Act, as amended (Rep. Susie Lee – Natural Resources). The bill would require private appraisers licensed in a single state to perform appraisals or valuation services nationally for land transactions within the Interior Department’s jurisdiction.
  • H.R. 5441 – Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Reauthorization Act of 2023 (Rep. LaLota – Natural Resources). The bill would reauthorize through fiscal year 2028 the Environmental Protection Agency’s grant programs to conserve the Long Island Sound—located between Connecticut and Long Island.

  Tuesday – Thursday, the House is scheduled to meet for legislative business.

• Bills expected under a rule.
  • H.R. 7700 – Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act (Rep. Langworthy – Energy and Commerce). The legislation would impose stricter standards on the Energy Department and its ability to update energy efficiency standards for dishwashers.
  • H.R. 7637 – Refrigerator Freedom Act (Rep. Miller-Meeks – Energy and Commerce). The legislation would impose stricter standards on the Energy Department and its ability to update energy efficiency standards for refrigerators.
  • H.J.Res. 165 – Providing for congressional disapproval under Chapter 8 of Title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to nondiscrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance (Rep. Mary Miller – Education and the Workforce). The resolution would block an Education Department rule to apply sex-based discrimination protections to transgender students.
  • H.R. 8281 – Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (Rep. Roy – House Administration). The measure would require voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and states to remove noncitizens from their voter rolls.
  • H.R. 8772 – Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2025 (Rep. Valadao – Appropriations). The bill would allocate $5.5 billion in discretionary funding in fiscal year 2025 to the House of Representatives and legislative branch agencies.

Senate Votes

On Monday, the Senate will begin consideration of the nominations of Nancy Maldonado to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Patricia Lee to be a member of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Robin Meriweather to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and Charles Willoughby to be an associate judge on D.C.’s Superior Court.

[View source.]