Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of February 9

DHS Shutdown Looming

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security expires on Friday, giving Congress just four days to strike a deal before they take a weeklong Presidents Day recess.

This week, the House of Representatives will consider the Republican-backed SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification to vote nationwide. The House will also vote on a bipartisan bill to overhaul US housing policies, marking the first comprehensive effort in nearly a decade.

Meanwhile, the Senate continues to negotiate details of a potential deal to fund DHS. Last week, Democratic leaders released a list of preferred reforms to Immigration & Customs Enforcement and shared draft legislation with Senate Republicans on Sunday. With just days until the deadline and a weeklong recess on the horizon, time is running out to find a deal to fund DHS and its critical agencies, including FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard.

Lawmakers in both chambers will convene committee hearings this week, including the following:

• The Senate Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will review broadband deployment funding at the Department of Commerce
• The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will discuss opportunities with the reorganization of VHA
• The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s subcommittee on Health will examine the prescription drug supply chain
• The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will assess the next generation of VA’s community care network
• The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will discuss media ownership in the digital age