The Senate is in session this week, while the House is in recess, with a pro forma session scheduled on Thursday morning. However, under the updated 2020 House legislative calendar unveiled by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on Friday, the chamber will hold "Committee Work Days" each day this week, with most hearings being conducted virtually.
The Senate will vote on five judicial and executive nominations this week, including:
John Badalamenti
to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida;
Victor Mercado
to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities;
Brian Miller
to be Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery;
James Anderson
to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; and Drew Tipton to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas. The Senate will begin consideration of the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), which
permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addresses a massive backlog of national parks maintenance projects
. The Senate may also vote on, by Unanimous Consent, the House-passed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Flexibility Act of 2020 (H.R. 7010), which makes several changes to the popular PPP aimed at offering small businesses more flexibility
to spend forgivable loans for payrolls and expenses.
In a "Dear Colleague" letter sent to all House members on Friday, Majority Leader Hoyer stated that "
As we continue to meet the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, the House must also continue its work on other critical legislation to address issues of national need and concern. [...] Throughout the month of June, legislative work in House committees will be our focus, with committees meeting to hold hearings and to mark up and report legislation. Their goal will be to prepare must-pass legislation for consideration on the Floor in late June and going through July, including a 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA); an infrastructure package that includes reauthorization of expiring surface transportation provisions; a reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA); legislation to strengthen and expand the Affordable Care Act as more Americans have come to rely on it during this pandemic; and appropriation bills for Fiscal Year 2021; among others."
Several Congressional committee hearings and virtual forums/briefings/roundtables related to COVID-19 are taking place this week, including: a Senate Banking Committee hearing on "Implementation of Title IV of the CARES Act"; a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on "How Governors are Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic"; a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "Examining Best Practices for Incarceration and Detention During COVID-19"; a Senate Small Business Committee hearing on "Perspectives from Main Street: COVID-19's Impact on Small Business"; a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on "Protecting the Right to Vote During the COVID-19 Pandemic"; a House Budget Committee hearing on "Addressing the Economic Impacts of COIVD-19: Views from Two Former CBO Directors"; a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on "The State of Transportation and Critical Infrastructure: Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic"; a Senate HELP Committee hearing on "COVID-19: Going Back to College Safely"; and a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on "The CDC's COVID-19 Response."
Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to participate in presidential and/or congressional Democratic and Republican primary elections in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota.
NATaT has created a Coronavirus Guidance webpage to store NATaT letters, memos and briefs on the outbreak, as well as critical information and guidance released by Congress and the Administration.
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