The House and Senate are in session this week. The House will vote on 57 bills under suspension of the rules, including the Improving Emergency Disease Response via Housing Act of 2020 (H.R. 6294), which requires the Housing and Urban Development Department to share data with the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department on low-income and homeless individuals at risk of contracting COVID-19; and the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act (H.R. 1646), which requires HHS to collect and report data on suicide among law enforcement and emergency personnel and requires HHS and the U.S. Fire Administration to develop resources to assist with mental health issues faced by first responders.
For the remainder of the week, the House will vote on a stopgap Continuing Resolution, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (H.R. 8319), which extends federal government funding at enacted FY2020 levels from Oct. 1 through Friday, December 11, 2020, in addition to extending the authorization of the 2015 surface transportation bill (the FAST Act) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through September 30, 2021, among other provisions; and the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447), which combines several bills that aim to boost green infrastructure and energy efficiency in buildings, invest in renewable technologies, energy sources, and workforce training, and includes provisions to improve the electricity grid and broaden investments and access to electric vehicles, among numerous other provisions.
The Senate will vote on a judicial nominee for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims; three nominees for Members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and two federal district judicial nominees for the District of Arizona and the Eastern District of Virginia.
President Trump said recently that he expects to nominate the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's replacement on Friday or Saturday this week and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said "President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate," a move that could give the court's conservatives a firm 6-3 majority.The top five finalists for the nomination, all of whom are women, reportedly include: 48-year old 7th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett; 52-year old 11th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Barbara Lagoa; 38-year old 4th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Allison Jones Rushing; 51-year old 6th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Joan Larsen; and 45-year old Kate Todd, the White House Deputy Counsel who helps vet federal judges for President Trump.
It is not yet clear whether there are 50 members of the 53-member Senate Republican Conference who support voting on President Trump's Supreme Court nominee prior to the November 3 election, however, it is likely that Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for the nominee occur throughout October ahead of the lame-duck session in November and December. Two Senate Republicans - Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - have already said that the Senate should not vote on the nomination until after Election Day, and a senior GOP aide said the timeline would largely be dictated by how well-known the nominee is and senators' comfort level with her credentials and record.
