Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of July 16, 2019

The House

The House is back in session as of Monday evening with much to accomplish before the August recess. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said discussions on a debt ceiling agreement with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will continue this week. Some notable bills are under consideration this week including a resolution recommending that Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with Congressional subpoenas. The House is also expected to take up HR 2037, a bill imposing sanctions on foreign nationals that the Director of National Intelligence says played a part in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

While this week’s long-awaited hearing featuring testimony from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been delayed at least a week, there are a number of notable House Committee hearings scheduled for this week, including:

• The Government Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on Monday titled “Violations of the Hatch Act Under the Trump Administration, Part II: Kellyanne Conway.”
• On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “Our Wireless Future: Building a Comprehensive Approach to Spectrum Policy.”
• On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing “Examining Facebook’s Proposed Cryptocurrency and Its Impact on Consumers, Investors, and the American Financial System.”

The Senate

The Senate also returned to session on Monday. In addition to taking up a slate of judicial nominations, the Senate Armed Services Committee will begin the confirmation process for Mark Esper’s nomination to serve as the Secretary of Defense. There are also a number of notable committee hearings scheduled, including:

• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Tuesday titled “US Engagement in Central America.”
• The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing titled “Examining Facebook’s Proposed Digital Currency and Data Privacy Considerations” on Tuesday.
• Also on Tuesday, the Constitution Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on “Google and Censorship Through Search Engines.”

The Administration

On Monday, President Trump held a “Made in America” product showcase on the South Lawn of the White House. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin spoke at the Department of Justice’s summit on Anti-Semitism on Monday, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered remarks at the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce’s annual “Doorknock at the US Chamber of Commerce” event. Also, it is expected that later this week, Administration officials will begin briefing Congressional leadership on new DOJ/DHS rules for processing asylum claims at the border.

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