Both the House and Senate will be back in session this week after passing a bipartisan “laddered” continuing resolution before the Thanksgiving holidays that would fund the government through January 19 and February 2, 2024. There remains a long list of items to accomplish before funding expires and the year ends in a bitterly divided Congress.
As indicated by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in a Dear Colleague letter he sent over the weekend, one of the top priorities is President Joe Biden’s national security supplemental request, which would provide additional aid to Ukraine and Israel. However, House Republicans have repeatedly signaled that any additional funding would require significant changes to the security of the U.S. southern border, including restricting the entry of asylum seekers. Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will continue to struggle to balance the demands of the right-wing Freedom Caucus of his party while appealing to more moderate members who face tough reelections next year in competitive districts.
In the coming weeks, Congress will also attempt to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Although normally passed in a bipartisan fashion, lawmakers are at odds over a provision that allows the surveillance of U.S. citizens with connections to foreign persons. It is set to expire at the end of the year.
The Administration
On Tuesday, President Biden will travel to Atlanta to attend the memorial service for Rosalynn Carter, wife of former president Jimmy Carter. On Thursday, Biden will host Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço at the White House for bilateral discussions.
House Side
On Tuesday, the House will meet to consider multiple bills under suspension.
- Bills expected under suspension of the rules.
- R. 4666 – To require the inspector general of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to submit a quarterly report on fraud relating to certain COVID-19 loans, as amended (Rep. Bean – Small Business).
- R. 4667 – RECLAIM Taxpayer Funds Act, as amended (Rep. Salazar – Small Business). The bill would require the SBA to issue guidance to return and track unused and fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans.
- R. 4668 – POST IT Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Molinaro – Small Business). The bill would require the SBA’s ombudsman to post hyperlinks to agency guidance documents and interpretations of small entity compliance guides.
- R. 4670 – Small Business Contracting Transparency Act of 2023, as amended (Rep. Houlahan – Small Business). The legislation would require the SBA to submit annual reports to Congress on the concerns of small businesses owned by women, small businesses located in HUBZones, and small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.
- R. 5427 – To prohibit individuals convicted of defrauding the government from receiving any assistance from the Small Business Administration, and for other purposes (Rep. Roger Williams – Small Business).
- R. 4480 – Successful Entrepreneurship for Reservists and Veterans Act, as amended (Rep. Davids – Small Business). The legislation would require the SBA to submit an annual report to Congress on the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development.
- Res. 793 – Calling on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during the October 2023 attack on Israel (Rep. Stevens – Foreign Affairs). This nonbinding resolution would condemn Hamas for its attack on Israel and demand that it immediately release the remaining hostages.
- Res. 888 – Reaffirming the State of Israel’s right to exist (Rep. Lawler – Foreign Affairs). The resolution would reaffirm Israel’s right to exist and recognize that denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism, reject calls for Israel’s destruction, and condemn Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
- Res. 683 – Expressing support for the diplomatic relations required to encourage the Mexican government to fulfill its water deliveries on an annual basis to the United States under the treaty between the United States and Mexico regarding the utilization of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and of the Rio Grande (Rep. De La Cruz – Foreign Affairs).
Wednesday – Friday, the House is scheduled to meet for legislative business.
- Bills expected under a rule.
- R. 5283 – Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023 (Rep. Malliotakis – Natural Resources). The measure would prohibit federal land from being used to house migrants. It would also revoke a New York City lease for migrant shelters on federal parkland in Brooklyn, New York.
- R. 5961 – No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act (Rep. McCaul – Foreign Affairs). The bill would direct the president to impose sanctions against financial institutions that facilitate transactions involving the $6 billion in oil revenue that Iran was previously allowed to access through a September prisoner exchange deal.
- J.Res. 32 – Congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to small business lending under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) (Sen. Kennedy – Financial Services). This resolution would block a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule requiring lenders to collect and report demographic data on small business loan applicants through the Congressional Review Act.
Senate Side
On Monday, the Senate resumes consideration of the nomination of Jeffrey Bryan to be a judge for the District of Minnesota.
Schumer has also filed cloture on the nominations of Margaret Garnett to be a judge for the Southern District of New York and Jose Javier Rodríguez to be an assistant secretary for the Labor Department.
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