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Both chambers are in session this week and will be returning on Tuesday.
The House will vote on the Senate-passed FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 3935), reauthorizing and improving the Federal Aviation Administration and other civil aviation programs through Fiscal Year (FY) 2028. The Senate passed the $105 billion bill by a vote of 88-4 on Thursday evening, just one day before many of the Federal Aviation Administration authorities were set to expire. In order for the House to consider and pass the legislation and avoid the furlough of nearly 3,600 FAA employees, the Senate last week also passed a one-week extension for the FAA (following House passage), which President Joe Biden signed into law on Friday. All signs point to the House voting to clear the bill under suspension of the rules as early as Tuesday evening, as members of both sides of the aisle in the House have spoken in support of the bill. President Biden has until Friday, May 17 to sign H.R. 3935 into law, following House passage.
House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders shared summaries of their versions of the Farm Bill last week. This week, House Agriculture Committee Chair G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) expects to release the full farm bill text on Friday as the Committee plans a markup on May 23. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is hoping that Congress will act on the Farm Bill as she plans to retire in January and is working to push vulnerable House Democrats to work with the legislation put forth by Chair Thompson.
On Wednesday, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) plans to call up his challenge on the Biden Administration’s recent updated rules for pandemic-era state and local recovery funds (S.J. Res. 57). Sen. Schmitt’s resolution would overturn the Obligation Interim Final Rule (IFR) published by the Treasury Department in November 2023 for the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF). The resolution is allowed to be considered as a result of the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a tool Congress can use to overturn certain federal agency actions. If passed, local and county governments would no longer be able to invest SLFRF funding towards certain personnel costs, reclassify excess funds after the upcoming December 31, 2024 obligation deadline and flexibilities for subrecipients would be limited. In the event the Senate and House pass the disapproval resolution (with only simple majorities required), it is very likely that President Biden would veto it once it reached his desk. A two-thirds majority would then be needed in both the House and Senate to successfully override the veto.
The House will consider 16 bills under suspension of the rules, including the NTIA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 4510), which reauthorizes the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for FYs 2024 and 2025 and reorganizes the agency; and the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 7659), which authorizes and amends authorities, programs, and statutes administered by the Coast Guard. The House will also vote on the LEOSA Reform Act of 2024 (H.R. 354), which allows qualified off-duty and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms in more areas subject to federal prohibition, including national parks and school zones; the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act (H.R. 7343), which requires US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take into custody migrants who are arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers; the Police Our Border Act (H.R. 8146), which requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report to Congress on the effect that Biden Administration border and immigration policies are having on federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act of 2024 (H.R. 7581), which requires the DOJ to report to Congress on aggression and attacks against law enforcement officers and creates a new category in the Uniform Crime Reporting System and National Incident-Based Reporting System on such incidents; the DC CRIMES Act of 2024 (H.R. 7530), which requires the District of Columbia to revise its definition of youth offenders to cover individuals 18 or younger, rather than under 25, and modifies D.C.'s Home Rule Act to prohibit the District from enacting any changes to criminal liability sentencing to address “soft-on-crime” policies; and the Israel Security Assistance Support Act (H.R. _____), which prevents the Defense and State Departments from using appropriated funds for FY 2024 or previous years in order to withhold security assistance to Israel.
The Senate will vote this week on Courtney O’Donnell to be U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; Sanket Bulsara to be a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York; and Seth Aframe to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the First Circuit.
For the remainder of the week, the House will hold several hearings, including multiple House Appropriations subcommittee FY25 budget oversight hearings, including for the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. The House will also have a Homeland Security Committee hearing on “Standing Strong on the Thin Blue Line: How Congress Can Support State and Local Law Enforcement.” The Senate will also hold several committee hearings, including Appropriations Subcommittee FY25 budget oversight hearings for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Commerce, the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol, and Indian County. The Senate will hold a Budget Committee hearing on “Budgeting for the Storm: Climate Change and the Costs to National Security.”
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