The Weekly Hill Update

Below is the Federal Policy team’s weekly preview, published each week when Congress is in session.

HEADLINES

• Furloughed federal employees are returning to work for at least three weeks after President Trump signed a short-term funding bill to allow lawmakers time to negotiate on an immigration and border security package.

• A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He will visit Washington for talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, which officials believe will be critical to a potential opportunity to relieve trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

• Committees on both sides of the Capitol plan Tuesday hearings focused on prescription drug prices.

HOUSE

• The House has votes planned today through Thursday. The agenda includes legislation to provide a pay increase for civilian federal workers.
• The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday will hold a hearing on prescription drug pricing.
• A conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers is set to negotiate border security legislation seeking to avert another shutdown.
• Any additional committee activity will be listed here.

SENATE

• The Senate will reconvene today and resume consideration of a Middle East policy bill that stalled amid the shutdown.
• The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on prescription drug prices.
• The Senate Armed Services Committee has hearings scheduled Tuesday on cybersecurity and on China and Russia.
• The current list of Senate committee activity can be found here.

WHITE HOUSE

• Trump’s State of the Union Address was postponed from Tuesday because of the shutdown; a new date is not yet determined.
• Today, Trump will have lunch with Vice President Pence.
• Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will be in Washington Wednesday and Thursday for talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, seeking to resolve wide-ranging trade disputes between the two governments.