Look Ahead to the Week of November 18: Congress Turns to Disaster Aid Funding

Both the House and Senate are in session this week before recessing on Thursday in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Democrats in the House will hold their leadership elections this week after Republicans secured control of both chambers during this month’s elections. Senate Democrats plan to hold their elections in early December. It is expected that both Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will be selected by their peers to serve as Minority Leader of their respective chambers. House Republicans, meanwhile, will hold elections for their 2025 committee chair positions this week, several of which are contested.

On Monday, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young announced that she intends to send an additional request to Congress for billions of dollars in disaster funding aid after a series of devastating hurricanes throughout the Southeast. Congressional leadership acknowledged that a bill to provide disaster relief may likely be considered before other upcoming fiscal negotiations, including a debt-limit measure and legislation to avert a shutdown ahead of the December 20 government funding deadline. These negotiations may be further complicated. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) publicly stated that he expects to pass a short-term stopgap spending bill into early next year, rather than consider a full-year funding package. It is expected that this punt will also delay how quickly Congress can turn to reconciliation in 2025.

In addition to work on the various spending packages, it is anticipated that Schumer will use the remaining time in the lame-duck session to confirm as many judges nominated by the Biden Administration as possible.

Administration

President Biden is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the G20 Summit.

House Votes

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

• Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
  • H.R. 5536 – Grant Transparency Act of 2023, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Fry / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
  • H.R. 5658 – Vote by Mail Tracking Act (Sponsored by Rep. Porter / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
  • H.R. 825 – BOLIVAR Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Waltz / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
  • S. 3126 – Mark Our Place Act (Sponsored by Sen. Braun / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
  • S. 2181 – Keeping Military Families Together Act of 2024, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Peters / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
  • H.R. 7653 – VERY Act of 2024 (Sponsored by Rep. Don Davis / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)
  • H.R. 8371 – Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Ciscomani / Veterans’ Affairs Committee)

  Tuesday – Friday, the House is scheduled to meet for legislative business and to consider additional bills under suspension.

• Bills expected under a rule.
  • H.R. 1449 – CLEAN Act (Sponsored by Rep. Fulcher / Natural Resources Committee). The legislation would require the Department of the Interior to hold lease sales every year in states with land areas nominated for geothermal development. It would also expedite consideration of geothermal drilling permits.
  • H.R. 9495 – Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (Sponsored by Rep. Tenney / Ways and Means Committee). The legislation would require the Treasury Department to postpone tax deadlines and suspend penalties for U.S. nationals held hostage abroad. It would also enable the department to revoke the tax-exempt status of U.S. nonprofits that support designated foreign terrorist groups.
• Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
  • H.R. 3012 – North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2023, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Young Kim / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H.R. 8234 – To authorize the Secretary of State to designate additional persons eligible to serve as passport acceptance agents, and for other purposes, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Mast / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H.R. 8368 – Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts Authorization Act of 2024, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Titus / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H. Res. 554 – Affirming the nature and importance of the support of the United States for the religious and ethnic minority survivors of genocide in Iraq, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Slotkin / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H. Res. 837 – Reaffirming the ties between the United States and the Philippines, as amended (Sponsored by Del. Moylan / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H. Res. 1328 – Recognizing the actions of the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias in the Darfur region of Sudan against non-Arab ethnic communities as acts of genocide (Sponsored by Rep. James / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H. Res. 1449 – Condemning the global rise of antisemitism and calling upon countries and international bodies to counter antisemitism (Sponsored by Rep. Manning / Foreign Affairs Committee)
  • H. Res. 915 – Urging Ukraine to review and modify its decision to suspend adoption by foreign nationals, with a view to resuming such adoptions, particularly in cases where the mutual concerns of the Ukraine and of the United States can be substantially addressed (Sponsored by Rep. Smith (NJ) / Foreign Affairs Committee)

Senate Votes

On Monday, the Senate will begin consideration on the nominations of Embry J. Kidd for the Eleventh Circuit, Mustafa Taher Kasubhai for the District of Oregon, Sarah French Russell for the District of Connecticut, and Rebecca L. Pennell for the Eastern District of Washington.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) plans to force a vote in the chamber on resolutions that would prohibit the sale of U.S. arms to Israel.

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