House Cloakroom: June 7 – 11 Analysis: The House returns from its Congressional recess on Tuesday and will be going over to the White House for the annual Congressional picnic. The rest of the week is pretty light with mostly suspensions bills on the House floor. The main bill for the week is a Federal Housing Authority authorization bill. Additionally, the House could possibly consider Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-MA) TARP III bill which would create a $30 billion lending program that would duplicate efforts made by the $700 billion original …
House Cloakroom: May 17 – 21 House Analysis: Last week Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the House would not be taking up a budget this year, which would be the first time since the modern budget process was created in 1974 that the House failed to pass a budget. The reason becomes clear when you take into account a previous statement Hoyer made, “It’s difficult to pass budgets in election years because they reflect what the [fiscal] status is.” The House Republicans successfully used their last chance to amend the …
House Cloakroom: May 3 – 7 While the Senate works on the financial regulatory overhaul bill the only major bill the House will take up during the week will be a home energy efficiency bill commonly referred to as “Cash for Caulkers.” The cash for caulkers bill, not to be confused with last summers cash for clunkers program, is set to spend $6 billion to incentivize homeowners and contractors to take steps to make homes more energy efficient. Advocates of the bill claim that it will also create more “green …
House Cloakroom: April 19 – 23 Analysis: Another light week on the House side is in store as the Senate battles financial regulatory overhaul on the other side of the Capitol. This week the major bill likely to be brought up is the DC voting rights bill. Last year the Senate passed a similar version but with a provision that would change some of the District’s gun control laws. DC Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, leading the effort to pass this legislation, is opposed to the gun amendment and wants to …
House Cloakroom: March 22 – 26, 2010 Analysis: House members are staying in town through the weekend as health care continues to hang over everyone’s heads. The House Rules Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet tomorrow to consider the now infamous “Slaughter rule” which would deem the Senate bill passed before they move on to the reconciliation bill. Speaker Pelosi summed up her approval of this measure by saying “I like it, this scenario, because people don’t have to vote on the Senate bill.” On Sunday the House is then …
House Cloakroom: March 8 – 12, 2010 Analysis: Again, the question expected to dominate the discussion in Washington will be whether there are enough votes to pass the health care legislation on the House side. In order to move the ball forward it is expected there will be a health care reconciliation mark up in the Budget Committee sometime during the week. Besides the ongoing health care saga the House and Senate will likely put the finishing touches on a “jobs” bill this week. Two other likely votes include legislation …
House Cloakroom: February 22 – 26 Analysis: The House will be back in session this week after two weeks off because of the snow and the scheduled President’s day recess. The biggest event this week will actually be off the Hill and over at the White House Health Care Summit, an effort to push forward a deal to get health care reform passed this year. Back on the Hill, the House expects to take up several pieces of legislation including the controversial Native Hawaiians bill which would set up a race-based …
The Senate is not expected to return to Washington until Tuesday, January 19th, however, the House will be back in town this week for a short session beginning on Tuesday, January 12th. At this time it is unclear what legislative issues will be taken up. We will update you if new information becomes available.
Analysis – With the first half of the health care bill now passed out of the House the Speaker now pivots to the second half of the health care bill commonly referred to as the “doc fix.” The “doc fix” refers to the undoing of the flawed Medicare payment update formula, which Congress created but has routinely stopped from being enforced. Under current law, that formula would result in a 20 percent reduction in doctors’ pay under the Medicare program. This bill would cost another $210 billion, with long term …
