This week Washington waited to see if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would hold a vote on the Senate counterpart to the House's Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA). Known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), it would have similar, though not identical, effects to the AHCA. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 22 million fewer people would have insurance if BCRA were enacted. Ultimately, McConnell decided to delay a vote on the bill in light of uncertainty over whether the GOP had the votes to pass it.
There were several Mississippi River Basin-relevant hearings this week. In particular, the Senate Appropriations Committee held hearings on the budgets for the EPA and Department of Interior, while the House Appropriations Committee held hearings on the Energy & Water and Interior appropriations bills. Likewise, the Farm Bill process continues to progress, with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry holding a hearing on conservation and forestry in the 2018 Farm Bill.
