Capitol Hill

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

  • Democratic leaders are planning to move forward with a reconciliation bill focused on drug pricing and Affordable Care Act subsidies, regrouping after negotiations on a broader bill stalled.
  • The Senate is also planning to take up a slimmed-down version of legislation promoting competitiveness with China, focused on funding for domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
  • The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol will hold a prime-time hearing Thursday, focusing on President Donald Trump’s actions while his supporters were inside the Capitol.

HOUSE

  • The House is in session today through Thursday and will begin taking up its annual appropriations bills.
  • The Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a series of hearings focused on Russia and its invasion of Ukraine.
  • The House Oversight Committee invited executives from gun manufacturers to testify Wednesday.
  • The full hearing schedule can be found here.

SENATE

  • The Senate will continue voting on President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, and leaders will take formal steps toward passage of a healthcare-focused reconciliation bill as well as semiconductor funding legislation.
  • The Finance Committee and Banking Committee both will hold hearings on housing affordability.
  • The Foreign Relations Committee will begin the process to give U.S. approval to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and on Wednesday will hold a hearing on global food security with U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power and United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
  • The current list of committee meetings can be found here.

WHITE HOUSE

  • Biden has a light schedule so far this week, having just returned from a controversial visit to the Middle East.
  • Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking today at the NAACP National Convention in Atlantic City.
  • The administration is pressing lawmakers to advance scaled-back versions of reconciliation legislation and semiconductor funding, two key priorities for Biden.