WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON DC

Headlines to Know:

Seven Republicans are competing for the House speaker position

  • The party is divided, and the candidates face the challenge of unifying it after Kevin McCarthy’s removal. The candidates include GOP leaders such as Tom Emmer and Mike Johnson, as well as rank-and-file members such as Jack Bergman. Securing the required 217 votes in an internal vote is an uphill battle.
  • The chaos is pushing Republicans closer to a mid-November government funding deadline. And some candidates are already looking ahead to the next round.
  • Tom Emmer is a leading candidate but faces opposition from Donald Trump and his allies. The candidates need to win both an internal and floor vote, with the latter allowing limited defections. The dynamics within House Republicans have frustrated the process, and not all candidates have pledged support for the eventual nominee.

Hamas has released two U.S. hostages who were abducted during the Palestinian group’s deadly raid on Israel this month

  • Judith and Natalie Raanan, two U.S. hostages, were freed for “humanitarian” reasons. They were the first captives released since the gunmen raided Israel on October 7th, killing 1,400 people and taking around 200 hostages.

U.S. moves carrier to the Middle East following attacks on U.S. forces

  • The Pentagon will send an aircraft carrier and air defense systems to defend U.S. military troops in response to the growing number of attacks on U.S. facilities. Additional U.S. military forces in the U.S. have been placed in a higher state of readiness for a possible future deployment to the Middle East on short notice.
  • Over the last week, a growing number of security incidents involving drone and rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq appear to have been carried out by Iranian-backed groups opposed to the U.S. support of Israel in its war against Hamas.

Other News to Know: 

D.C. mayor to unveil new tough-on-crime package

  • The tough-on-crime proposal comes while crime is up in D.C. — unlike other big cities where violence has declined. This marks a U-turn for the Democratic city on policing reform, likely pitting Bowser against progressive council members.
  • The proposed legislation also clarifies and updates several existing policies to better align policies with the day-to-day realities of safe and effective policing.

Things to come out of it:

  • Retail theft would carry stiffer penalties via a new crime for “directing organized retail theft.”
  • Wearing a mask while committing a crime would be outlawed again.
  • The legislation also revises the definition of a police chokehold. It would clarify the “distinction between a serious use of force and incidental contact with the neck,” according to the preview text.

 

This Week on Capitol Hill

Hearings: (All times EST)

Tuesday, October 24th

TIME OF DAY | COMMITTEE: SUBJECT OF HEARING

  • 10:00 AM | House Energy and Commerce Mark-up: Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Mark-up
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Commerce Science and Transportation hearing to examine protecting Americans from robocalls
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Foreign Relations hearing to examine instability in the Sahel and West Africa, focusing on implications for U.S. policy
  • 10:15 AM | House Education and the Workforce: “Bad Business: DOL’s Proposed Overtime Rule”
  • 11:00 AM | House Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment: Water Resources Development Acts: Status of Past Provisions and Future Needs
  • 11:30 AM | House Natural Resources: Mark-up on various bills
  • 2:00 PM | House Financial Services, Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance: The Factors Influencing the High Cost of Insurance for Consumers
  • 2:00 PM | House Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement: “The Broken Path: How Transnational Criminal Organizations Profit from Human Trafficking at the Southwest Border.”
  • 2:00 PM | House Oversight and Accountability, Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce: “Oversight of the Internal Revenue Service”
  • 2:00 PM | House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare: Measuring Poverty: How the Biden Administration Plans to Redraw the Poverty Line and Rob Resources from Rural America
  • 2:00 PM | House Foreign Affairs: Friend and Ally: U.S. support for Israel after Hamas’ Barbaric Attack
  • 2:30 PM | Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights: Hearings to examine competition and consumer rights in housing markets
  • 2:30 PM | Senate Intelligence: To receive a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters
  • 3:00 PM | Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Hearings to examine the precursor pipeline, focusing on techniques that drug cartels use to procure and finance precursor chemicals that are used to manufacture illicit synthetic drugs and actions the Federal government can take to address this issue

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

  • 10:00 AM | House Financial Services Hearing: Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion Subcommittee, Modernizing Financial Services Through Innovation and Competition
  • 10:00 AM | House Small Business Hearing: “Oversight of the SBAs Office of Entrepreneurial Development”
  • 10:00 AM | House Oversight and Accountability Hearing, National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee: “Faith under fire: an examination of global religious persecution.”
  • 10:00 AM | House Ways and Means Hearing: Educational Freedom and Opportunity for American Families, Students, and Workers
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Meeting: Business meeting to consider the nomination of Monica M. Bertagnolli, of M.A., to be director of the National Institute of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Finance: Hearings to examine paid leave, focusing on policy, practice, and impact on the workforce.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Budget: Hearings to examine how climate change threatens supply chains.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Judiciary: Hearings to examine ensuring the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Foreign Relations: Business meeting to consider the nomination of Jacob J. Lew, of New York, to be Ambassador to the State of Israel, Department of State, and other pending nominations.
  • 10:30 AM | Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Business meeting to consider S.2685, to make data and internal guidance on excess personal property publicly available, S.2866, to improve the customer experience of the Federal Government, ensure…
  • 2:00 PM | House Natural Resources Hearing: Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee: Legislative Hearing on the following bills: H.R. 1449 (Rep. Fulcher), “Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act” or the “CLEAN Act”; H.R. 2855 (Rep. Soto), “Sinkhole Mapping”
  • 2:00 PM | House Foreign Affairs: Western Hemisphere Subcommittee: The U.S.-Honduras Bilateral Relationship: Analyzing the Socialist Government of President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya
  • 2:00 PM |House Foreign Affairs: Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee: The Global Engagement Center: Helping or Hurting U.S. Foreign Policy
  • 2:00 PM | House Oversight and Accountability: Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee: “The Power of Apprenticeships: Faster, Better Paths to Prosperous Jobs and Less Waste in Higher Education”
  • 2:00 PM |House Financial Services: National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee: How America and Its Allies Can Stop Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran from Evading Sanctions and Financing Terror.
  • 2:00 PM (EDT) |Senate Foreign Relations: Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee: Hearings to examine the Department of State’s strategy for security in the Black Sea region.
  • 2:00 PM | Senate Indian Affairs: Hearings to examine implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act in native communities.
  • 2:15 PM | House Natural Resources: Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee: Legislative Hearing on H.R. 520 (Rep. McClintock), To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that artificially propagated animals shall be treated the same under that Act as naturally.
  • 2:30 PM | House Armed Services: Sea Power and Projection Forces Subcommittee: the Submarine Industrial Base and its Ability to Support the AUKUS Framework.
  • 2:30 PM | Senate Intelligence: to receive a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters.
  • 2:30 PM | Senate Energy and Natural Resources: Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee: Hearings to examine S.175 to codify certain public land orders relating to the revocation of certain withdrawals of public land in the State of Alaska, S.297, to amend the Federal Land Policy
  • 2:30 PM | Senate Judiciary: Human Rights and the Law Subcommittee
  • Hearings to examine the human rights of foster children.
  • 3:30 PM | Senate Veterans Affairs Meeting: Hearings to examine V.A. accountability and transparency, focusing on quality care and benefits for veterans.

Thursday, October 26th, 2023

  • 9:00 AM (EDT) |House Financial Services: Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee: Moving the Money: Understanding the Iranian Regime’s Access to Money Around the World and How They Use It to Support Terrorism
  • 9:00 AM | House Ways and Means: Social Security Subcommittee: One Million Claims and Growing: Improving Social Security’s Adjudication Process
  • 9:30 AM | Senate Energy and Natural Resources
  • Hearings to examine Federal offshore energy strategy and policies.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Environment and Public Works
  • Superfund, Waste Management, and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee
  • Hearings to examine evaluating alternative materials for single-use plastics.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Judiciary: Business meeting to consider subcommittee assignments, and the nominations of Mustafa Taher Kasubhai, to be United States District Judge for the District of Oregon, John A. Kazen, to be United States.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Aging (Special): Hearings to examine access to therapies for people with rare, progressive, and serious diseases.
  • 10:00 AM | Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Hearings to examine combating the networks of illicit finance and terrorism.

Friday, October 27th

  • No Meeting Dates

Floor Overview

  • House in session
  • Senate is in session