The Senate
The Senate has until Friday’s government funding deadline to pass a stopgap measure that cleared the House last week. The measure would temporarily fund the government until mid-March. The framework for this fiscal year’s appropriations bills has been agreed to, and the temporary funding measure would buy lawmakers time to fine-tune the details of the legislation.
However, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is threatening to hold up the bill for its funding of certain healthcare grants, and other conservative members such as Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have also threatened to hold up the bill if it funds federal COVID-19 mandates.
The Senate will also take up a USPS overhaul bill which aims to save the Postal Service $50 billion over the next decade. The Senate will address President Biden’s nominations for the Federal Reserve and other postings as well.
The House
The House will host numerous hearings this week:
- The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis will discuss strategies for grid resilience and reliability.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee will discuss oversight of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
- The House Administration Committee will consider privacy risks and necessary reforms in both the public and private sectors.
- The House Small Business Committee will discuss how the bipartisan infrastructure bill benefits small businesses.
The Administration
The Administration is warning of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, although the President and the nation’s allies continue to urge a diplomatic solution. President Biden has not ordered U.S. troops to Ukraine but has deployed 3,000 troops to NATO states which border Ukraine – namely, Germany, Poland, and Romania – in order to deter any possible further Russian incursion.