Below is this week’s congressional update by BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team. We’ll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

HEADLINES

•  President Joe Biden’s cabinet is fanning out across Asia in a broad diplomatic effort, headlined by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the first high-level meeting since March between the two countries amid deepening tensions over a wide range of issues.

•  Worries among policymakers are growing over the COVID-19 delta variant as vaccine hesitancy has stalled recovery and enabled a surge of illness and hospitalization in certain parts of the country.

•  Lawmakers are continuing intense negotiations toward finalizing infrastructure legislation as well as police reform as their August recess looms.

HOUSE

• In the final week of floor votes before departing until late September, according to the current schedule, House Democrats seek to complete as many appropriations bills as they can, including a seven-bill “minibus.”
• A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will hold a legislative hearing Wednesday on modernizing consumer protection.
• The House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing Thursday titled “21st Century Food Systems: Controlled Environment Agriculture’s Role in Protecting Domestic Food Supply Chains and Infrastructure.”
• The full list of this week’s House committee activity can be found here.

SENATE

• Senators begin their week continuing votes on Biden’s nominees, awaiting a potential vote on infrastructure legislation if a bipartisan agreement is finalized.
• The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on implementation and enforcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
• The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on pipeline cybersecurity with Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske and Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg.
• The current list of Senate committee activity can be found here.

WHITE HOUSE

• Biden today will hold a Rose Garden event commemorating the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House.
• Biden on Wednesday will visit the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania to promote American-made products.
• In addition to Sherman’s visit to China, Secretary of State Tony Blinken will travel to India and Kuwait, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam.