It’s a busy week on the Hill as lawmakers in the House advance bills to strengthen the workforce, tackle high gas prices, and address the baby formula shortage during their last week in session before Memorial Day. Meanwhile, Senators are finalizing a supplemental appropriations package to aid Ukraine.
Table of Contents:
- Progressive Playbook
- House
- Senate
- Issues to Watch
- Key Dates
- What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
We all want our families and communities to be safe. Yet still, certain politicians, gun corporations and the NRA have spent millions trying to pit us against each other based on our race or origin, but we must refuse to fall to their fear-mongering. The number of far-right, white-supremacist violent attacks has surged in recent years, and it’s time to directly confront this crisis. We must stand up for each other and work together to invest in community programs that prevent gun violence, dismantle laws like Stand Your Ground that encourage racist gun violence, and pass common sense reforms like universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. Together, we can make this a place where we know that we are all safe.
WORDS THAT WORK
- Everyday, gun violence is hurting our families and communities. From the mass shootings in shopping malls, schools, and places of worship, to the retaliatory gun violence in neighborhoods haunted by the legacy of economic disinvestment caused by racism and poverty, to the suicides committed nationwide with increasing frequency.
- For decades, the NRA and gun lobby have used fear and racist rhetoric to keep us divided and allow people to get ever more deadly weapons without any common sense checks. Today, loopholes in our laws allow up to 40% of gun sales to go unchecked.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on 28 suspension bills from the Committees on Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Veterans’ Affairs. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 7309 – Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 (Rep. Scott (VA)): The bill would fully fund WIOA programs by authorizing $78 billion over six years and expand the workforce development system to train one million workers per year by 2028. The bill would also create a permanent Department of Labor program to help returning citizens transition back to employment, expand summer and year-round jobs programs for youth, codify partnerships between employers and community colleges, and provide funding for innovative approaches to workforce development.
- Press Release (Rep. Scott)
H.R. 6531 – Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022 (Rep. Clyburn): The bill would require the Bureau of the Census to publish a list of all areas of persistent poverty and annually update the list;
the Office of Management and Budget to develop and implement guidance and measures to increase the share of federal investments targeted to areas of persistent poverty; and the Government Accountability Office to report on the measures implemented by the OMB under this bill.
- Floor Speech (Rep. Clyburn)
H.R. 2938 – To designate the United States Courthouse and Federal Building located at 111 North Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida, as the “Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building” (Sen. Rubio): The bill would rename a United States Courthouse and Federal Building located in Tallahassee, Florida, after Joseph Woodrow Hatchett, who served as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit, and served on the Florida Supreme Court.
- Press Release (Sen. Rubio)
H.R. 7688 – Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act (Rep. Schrier): The bill would give the President the power to issue an Energy Emergency Declaration that would make it unlawful to increase gasoline and home energy fuel prices in an excessive or exploitative manner.
- Press Release (Rep. Schrier)
Additional legislative items are possible including legislation to Grant Emergency Authority to the WIC Program to Address Supply Chain Disruptions and Recalls Related to Baby Formula.
House Committee Highlights
A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:
Tuesday Hearings
Examining Ways to Improve the Juvenile Justice System and Support America’s Young People (Education & Labor)
Reviving Competition, Part 6: Rebuilding America’s Economic Leadership and Combatting Corporate Profiteering (Judiciary)
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (Intelligence)
Underpaid, Overworked, and Underappreciated: How the Pandemic Economy Disproportionately Harmed Low-Wage Women Workers (Coronavirus Crisis)
Preparing for Take-Off: Examining Efforts to Address Climate Change at U.S. Airports (Transportation & Infrastructure)
FY 2023 Budget Request for the Department of Labor (Appropriations)
- Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh is testifying
FY 2023 EPA Budget (Energy & Commerce)
- EPA Administrator Michael Regan is testifying
FY 2023 Budget Request for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Appropriations)
- Acting Director of ICE Tae Johnson is testifying
Wednesday Hearings
Taxpayer Fairness Across the IRS (Ways & Means)
Revoking Your Rights: The Ongoing Crisis in Abortion Care Access (Judiciary)
The Impact of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine in the Middle East and North Africa (Foreign Affairs)
Examining DHS’s Efforts to Combat the Opioid Epidemic (Homeland Security)
Climate Smart from Farm to Fork: Building an Affordable and Resilient Food Supply Chain (Climate Crisis)
FY 2023 Budget Request for the Transportation Security Administration (Appropriations)
- TSA Administrator David Pekoske is testifying
Thursday Hearings
Free Speech Under Attack (Part II): Curriculum Sabotage and Classroom Censorship (Oversight & Reform)
Friday Hearings
Building a Workforce to Navigate the Electric Vehicle Future (Science, Space, & Technology)
Senate
Senate Floor
H.R. 7691 – Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (Rep. Rosa DeLauro): The bill would provide more than $40 billion in emergency funding for additional military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine – $7 billion over President Biden’s original request. If passed, the bill would bring U.S. spending on Ukraine to almost $54 billion following the $13.6 billion Congress approved in March. The House passed the bill last week by a 368-57 vote.
- Section-by-section (Appropriations)
- House Passes $40 Billion More in Ukraine Aid, With Few Questions Asked (The New York Times)
Nominations
The Senate this week has teed up votes on the following nominees:
- Jennifer Louise Rochon to be US District Judge for the Southern District of New York
- Trina L. Thompson to be US District Judge for the Northern District of California
- Sunshine Suzanne Sykes to be US District Judge for the Central District of California
Senate Committee Highlights
A full list of this week’s Senate committee hearings, including confirmation hearings, can be found here. Notable committee hearings include:
Tuesday Hearings
FY 2023 Funding Request and Budget Justification for the National Institutes of Health (Appropriations)
- Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci is testifying
Wednesday Hearings
Cybersecurity in the Health and Education Sectors (HELP)
Stop Gun Violence: The Jackson-Elias Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act (Judiciary)
FY 2023 President’s Budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (Appropriations)
- EPA Administrator Michael Regan is testifying
Thursday Hearings
Mental Health Care for Older Adults: Raising Awareness, Addressing Stigma, and Providing Support (Aging)
Administration of Upcoming Elections (Rules & Administration)
FY 2023 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior (Energy & Natural Resources)
- Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is testifying
Key Dates
May: AAPI Heritage Month
May: Jewish American Heritage Month
May: Mental Health Awareness Month
May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
May 20 – June 6: House is out of session
May 23: Title 42 officially ends
May 24: Employer suppression of free speech: Unequal power in the workplace is silencing workers
May 30: Memorial Day
May 30 – June 5: Senate is out of session
May 31 – June 1: Anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre
June: Immigrant Heritage Month
June: LGBTQ+ Pride Month
What We’re Reading
8 Things You Should Know About Defense Spending and Inflation (Watson Institute)
Medical Debt Fell during the Pandemic. How Can the Decline Be Sustained? (Urban Institute)
The end of Roe will mean more children living in poverty (Vox)
Monopolies and the Baby Formula Shortage (The American Prospect)
Reimagining Rehabilitation (Atmos)
We’re in danger of losing our democracy. Most Americans are in denial. (The Washington Post)
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