Outlook for This Week within the Nation’s Capital
Congress. The Home and Senate are each in session this week, and they’re gearing up for a busy calendar crunch forward of their August recess, which begins on July 29 and August 5 respectively and goes via Labor Day. The Senate will maintain a second procedural vote on its “CHIPS+” invoice right now, organising a ultimate vote there on Wednesday. The Home will then take up the measure earlier than it departs for its August recess on Friday. The Senate is then anticipated to show both a vote on NATO membership for Sweden and Finland or a key veterans measure, the Home-passed Pact Act, which might enable tens of millions of veterans uncovered to poisonous substances throughout their army careers to obtain VA well being care and advantages. Relying upon whether or not they can attain the 60-vote threshold, one thing doubtlessly inside attain, the Senate may additionally vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, codifying safety for identical intercourse marriage. As well as, Senators will use this week to tee up a well being care associated Finances Reconciliation package deal by working with the Senate Parliamentarian to guarantee that such a invoice complies with Senate procedures underneath the Congressional Finances Act. The invoice would lengthen Obamacare subsidies for 2 years and permit Medicare to barter prescription drug costs for sure classes of drugs. The Water Sources Improvement Act of 2022 is predicted to go to the Senate flooring quickly too, however Senate leaders haven’t but determined the precise timing. Whereas the Home will adjourn for the summer time on the finish of the week, it may return for a vote on the Senate price range reconciliation package deal. Earlier than the Home breaks for recess although, the Chamber hopes to pass a collection of police funding payments, an assault weapons ban, and quite a few science, power, monetary providers, and wildfire-related payments.
Hearings for this week embrace inspecting nominations, hashish decriminalization, carbon seize initiatives, using fentanyl, USDA hemp manufacturing, and cybersecurity for area methods. The Home Guidelines Committee may even markup a invoice (H.R. 4040) that makes everlasting a number of pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities underneath Medicare.
CHIPS+. The Senate is predicted to vote this week on its compromise model of a semiconductor and R&D legislative package deal. The slimmed down laws combines provisions from the Home’s America COMPETES Act with the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competitors Act (USICA). The package deal will present funding for the semiconductor business in addition to tackle different federal analysis and improvement initiatives equivalent to at NSF, NIST, and the DOE, although the latter provisions are authorization measures solely, leaving funding for his or her programmatic aspirations to the work of Congressional appropriators.
FY23 Finances and Appropriations. Senate Democrats are anticipated to publicly launch their appropriations payments this week however skip the markup course of. In the meantime, the Home final week handed an FY23 “minibus” package deal that contained six spending payments (Transportation and Housing and City Improvement (THUD); Agriculture, Rural Improvement, and Meals and Drug Administration (Ag); Vitality and Water Improvement (EW); Monetary Providers and Common Authorities (FSGG); Inside and Setting; and Army Building and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA)). The Home nonetheless has six appropriations payments left that leaders hope to carry to the ground in some unspecified time in the future, together with the Protection and Labor-HHS-Schooling measures, which mixed account for roughly 70 p.c of all federal discretionary spending. Nonetheless, stable Republican opposition to those payments, coupled with inside disputes throughout the Home Democratic caucus over sure scorching button points like Title 42 authority associated to frame safety, make it unlikely that they’re thought-about this month.
Biden Administration. President Joe Biden, who’s in isolation till tomorrow because of his constructive COVID prognosis, plans to talk with Chinese language President Xi Jinping by the top of July amid tensions between the 2 powers over Taiwan and commerce. Their deliberate dialogue comes amidst the White Home’s dispute with Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) over her potential journey to Taiwan subsequent month and their issues over such a visit elevating tensions within the area.
Mid-term elections A current bipartisan ballot within the 56 best US Home districts carried out for AARP and launched final week confirmed main momentum for Republicans and confirmed Biden the wrong way up in opposition to former President Trump in favorability. (Axios) Senate Republicans hope for a Senate majority, broken by nominating candidates in a number of states with tougher backgrounds in a common election contest, could need to win a blue state like Colorado, one thing that some political handicappers recommend is inside attain due to the general nationwide atmosphere. (Axios) This week, the Trump backed America First Coverage Institute holds an America First Summit, during which the previous President plans to talk and make his first return to Washington since departing the White Home final yr. The Summit’s agenda may be discovered here. Summit sponsors hope to articulate a imaginative and prescient for the longer term for the previous President’s worldview. (Politico)
Final Week within the Nation’s Capital
CONGRESS
Finances & Appropriations
Home Approves Extra Than $400 Billion of Authorities Funding in ‘Minibus’ Package deal: The Home handed a sprawling spending package deal for the approaching fiscal yr, approving greater than $400 billion in authorities spending forward of the August recess. The Home nonetheless has six remaining annual spending payments that leaders hope to carry to the ground later this month, however the timing on when stays unclear. (The Hill)
U.S. Innovation Invoice Clears Main Senate Hurdle with Analysis Provisions Intact: An enormous invoice to bolster U.S. innovation took a giant step towards changing into regulation after a bipartisan coalition of senators defeated an try and strip away most of its analysis parts. The newest model of the U.S. Innovation and Competitors Act (USICA) additionally consists of new language requiring the Nationwide Science Basis (NSF) and the Division of Vitality (DOE) to allocate their analysis {dollars} extra evenly throughout the nation. (Science)
Well being
Klobuchar Asks FTC To Examine Amazon’s $3.9 Billion Transfer to Purchase One Medical: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a fierce critic of Amazon’s market energy, is urging the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) to analyze the e-commerce large’s proposed $3.9 billion acquisition of major well being care supplier One Medical. The Minnesota Democrat, chair of the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, requested the FTC in a letter Thursday to analyze the deal over issues she mentioned it raises about anti-competitive habits within the pharmaceutical business and delicate information it could enable the corporate to build up. (The Hill)
Banking & Housing
Sen. Cramer, Banking Republicans Elevate Considerations with FHFA Race-Based mostly Subsidies: U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Senate Banking Republicans despatched a letter to Federal Housing Finance Company (FHFA) Director Sandra Thompson elevating important issues with the Equitable Housing Finance Plans which ponder race-based housing subsidies. (Clark Hill Insight)
Lawmakers Need to Develop Inexpensive Housing. Communities say, ‘Not in My Again Yard’: Lawmakers are scrambling to cross inexpensive housing laws after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) threw a wrench into one more social spending package deal. Manchin additionally rejected the Biden administration’s Construct Again Higher Act final yr, which might have allotted greater than $150 billion for housing geared towards the center class and lower-income People. To get these housing items constructed, lawmakers from each events wish to increase tax credit that incentivize builders to assemble cheaper properties for low-income individuals with a view to offset the usually drastically greater revenue margins that builders could make placing up properties for the rich. (The Hill)
Crypto/Blockchain
Sen. Warren Leads Lawmakers Calling for DOE, EPA to Monitor ‘Disturbing’ Bitcoin, Ethereum Vitality Use: The U.S. Division of Vitality and the Environmental Safety Company ought to require crypto mining firms to report their power use and related carbon emissions, a bunch of six lawmakers led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) mentioned in a letter to the companies. (UtilityDive)
Commerce
4514 Launched to Counter Financial Coercion of Allies: Sens. Coons (D-DE) and Younger (R-IN) launched the Countering Economic Coercion Act of 2022supposed to offer the President the authority to alleviate financial pressures from international adversaries, e.g., China and Russia. The Invoice defines coercion as “actions, measures, or threats undertaken by a international adversary to restrain, hinder, or manipulate commerce, international support, funding, or commerce in an arbitrary, capricious, or non-transparent method with the intention to trigger financial hurt or affect sovereign political actions.” If handed, the Invoice would give the President the authority to change duties and tariff-rate quotas, expedite export licensing selections, and request international support appropriations for such nations, amongst different issues. (Office of Sen. Coons)
Protection
Senate NDAA Has $13 Billion Further for Protection Inflation: The Senate Armed Providers Committee beneficial $45 billion extra for nationwide protection in fiscal 2023 than President Joe Biden sought, and the panel disclosed that $13 billion of the rise would go towards offsetting the impact of surging inflation on Pentagon shopping for energy. The invoice would authorize $846.86 billion for protection packages — primarily on the Pentagon and the Vitality Division, which manages U.S. nuclear bomb and warhead packages. (Roll Call)
Battle Brews Over Pentagon’s Push to Counter Extremists: Democrats in each chambers are vowing to withstand GOP makes an attempt to halt Protection Division coaching aimed toward countering extremist teams’ makes an attempt to affect servicemembers. The Senate Armed Providers Committee report accompanying its fiscal 2023 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act calls on the Pentagon to “instantly” halt the counter-extremism packages. The committee accredited the invoice in June, however the legislative textual content and the report weren’t made public till Monday night. (Roll Call)
Homeland Safety & Immigration
Republicans Plot Immigration Strikes if They Management Home: When Home Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) led a bunch of Home Republicans to the U.S.-Mexico border this yr, he had a warning for Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about what Republicans would do in the event that they had been in cost. “At any time, if somebody is derelict of their job, there’s all the time the choice of impeaching,” McCarthy advised a crowd of reporters gathered close to the border in April. (Roll Call)
Judiciary/Justice
Cardin says He Hopes Electoral Rely Act is Handed Earlier than November Midterms: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) mentioned that he hopes the newly proposed Electoral Rely Act is handed via Congress and enacted earlier than November’s midterm elections. (The Hill)
Congress’ Push to Regulate Massive Tech is Fizzling Out: Hopes for a congressional vote this summer time on a significant tech antitrust invoice have all however fizzled out because the August recess rapidly approaches. It’s extra probably than ever that this Congress will push efforts to cross Massive Tech competitors guidelines into the autumn, the place they are going to face slim possibilities with lawmakers distracted by midterm elections. (Axios)
Home Democrats Advance Assault Weapons Ban After Mass Shootings: Democrats pushed additional final week on efforts to fight gun violence, as a Home committee superior a ban on assault weapons and President Joe Biden deliberate extra govt actions to combat crime. (Roll Call)
Schumer’s Authorized Weed Invoice is Lastly Right here: Senate leaders are introducing sweeping laws Thursday meant to carry federal prohibitions on marijuana greater than 50 years after Congress made the drug unlawful. Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) Hashish Administration and Alternative Act would decriminalize weed on the federal degree and permit states to set their very own marijuana legal guidelines with out concern of punishment from Washington. (Politico)
Home Panel Advances Landmark Federal Information Privateness Invoice: A Home panel superior a complete information privateness invoice in a 53-2 bipartisan vote final Wednesday, pushing ahead laws that goals to set a nationwide customary for the way tech firms accumulate and use People’ information. The Home Vitality and Commerce Committee vote on the American Information Privateness and Safety Act (ADPPA) is a major step ahead after years of delay in lawmakers taking motion on a federal information privateness regulation, however there are nonetheless dangle ups that would complicate the proposal transferring ahead. (The Hill)
Cyber
Senators Introduce Invoice to Enhance Defenses Towards Quantum Computing Information Breaches: Senators on Thursday launched a cybersecurity invoice aimed toward enhancing the federal authorities’s defenses in opposition to information breaches enabled by quantum computing. The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), would require federal companies to have essentially the most up-to-date cybersecurity protections as quantum computer systems grow to be extremely superior and extensively obtainable. (The Hill)
Agriculture
Home Passes FY23 Ag Invoice: The Home 2023 Agriculture, Rural Improvement, Meals and Drug Administration, and Associated Businesses funding invoice supplies funding of $27.2 billion– a important enhance of $2.075 billion, 8 p.c– above 2022. In whole, the invoice consists of $195 billion for each discretionary packages funded on an annual foundation and necessary packages such because the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program. (House Appropriations)
Little one Vitamin Reauthorization Invoice Launched: The Home Committee on Schooling and Labor launched the Wholesome Meals, Wholesome Children Act, a Little one Vitamin Reauthorization invoice that will broaden the Neighborhood Eligibility Provision (CEP), enhance the meal reimbursement and extra. (Food Service Director)
Setting & Inside
Senate Panel Deadlocks on Biden Inside Nominee for Second Time: The Senate Vitality and Pure Sources Committee on Thursday deadlocked 10-10 on a long-delayed vote for a key Inside Division official, setting the stage for a Senate-wide vote on the nomination. (The Hill)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Well being/HHS/NIH
Biden Administration Contemplating A Public Well being Emergency for Monkeypox As Instances Swell: U.S. well being officers are discussing whether or not to declare a public well being emergency for the monkeypox outbreak as they work to make therapies and vaccines obtainable to extra individuals. The discussions come because the virus — which is endemic in West and Central Africa however uncommon in the USA — continues to unfold throughout the nation. As of Thursday, there have been 2,593 circumstances reported, up from 1,470 final week. The federal authorities introduced Friday it has shipped over 300,000 doses of the vaccine to states and cities to regulate the outbreak. (Politico)
Biden Administration Plans to Elevate Pandemic Response Workplace: The Biden administration is elevating the Well being and Human Providers Division’s pandemic and catastrophe response division after months of dialogue about fixing gaps and shortcomings uncovered through the coronavirus pandemic, three individuals accustomed to the inner deliberations mentioned. The choice, shared in an inside HHS memo, would make the Workplace of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response its personal working division, placing the assistant secretary, Daybreak O’Connell, on par with administrators of different sweeping departments, such because the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention and the Meals and Drug Administration. (Politico)
HHS May Think about Declaring Monkeypox a Public Well being Emergency: WH Official: The Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) is contemplating whether or not to declare monkeypox a public well being emergency if present administration techniques don’t get the virus underneath management, White Home COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha mentioned Sunday. “Within the U.S. proper now, we’re taking a look at public well being emergency as one thing that HHS would possibly ship however I imply, would possibly invoke however, , it actually is dependent upon what does that enable us to do,” Jha advised CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan. (The Hill)
Banking & Housing/HUD
A New Federal Workplace was Simply Established to Regulate Data Expertise Platforms in Actual Property Markets (i.e., Proptech): The Federal Housing Finance Company, the federal company that supervises and regulates many residence mortgage suppliers, introduced Tuesday the creation of the Workplace of Monetary Expertise. The brand new workplace is tasked with gathering info on rising dangers in monetary expertise innovation, related to residence possession. (Protocol)
Sandra Thompson Tight-Lipped on Credit score Rating Adjustments, Ending GSE Conservatorships: Federal Housing Finance Company Director Sandra Thompson is maintaining her views on whether or not Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ought to exit conservatorship and a call on credit score scoring fashions near the vest. “Ending conservatorships isn’t a fast motion to undertake,” Thompson mentioned in testimony final Wednesday earlier than the Home Monetary Providers Committee. “There are capital targets that need to be met, different coverage points that need to be determined by different stakeholders — the U.S. Treasury, some with the Federal Reserve, and others.” (Housing Wire)
Transportation/DOT
USPS to Greater than Double Order of Electrical Vehicles: The U.S. Postal Service will order greater than twice the variety of electrical autos initially projected for its new fleet, the company introduced. The transfer follows months of controversy after the Postal Service initially sought to make about 10 p.c of its fleet electrical. Now it plans to make a minimum of 40 p.c of its fleet electrical. (The Hill)
Buttigieg Spars with GOP Lawmakers Over Biden’s EV Objectives: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg final week defended the Biden administration’s objective of getting 50 p.c of autos in the marketplace be electrical by 2030 as Home Republican lawmakers forged doubt on what they argued may additional enhance power prices. Buttigieg, testifying earlier than the Home Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, lauded the objective as presumably bringing cost-saving expertise to rural communities and combating the local weather disaster. (The Hill)
Biden to Nominate Former State Official to Run U.S. Freeway Company: U.S. President Joe Biden plans to appoint a former state transportation official to go the Federal Freeway Administration (FHWA) because the company oversees an enormous soar in spending, the White Home mentioned on Thursday. Biden will nominate Shailen Bhatt, who’s a senior vp at engineering agency AECOM and was beforehand an official at each the Colorado and Delaware state transportation departments. (Reuters)
Commerce
Commerce Secretary says Biden Weighing ‘Potential Labor Implications’ Earlier than Deciding Whether or not to Carry China Tariffs: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo advised CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that one of many issues holding up President Biden from making a call whether or not to carry Trump-era tariffs on China that some economists say may assist ease inflation are the impacts such a transfer would have on labor unions. (The Hill)
House/NASA & NOAA
NASA Security Advisers Warn ISS Transition Plans On “Precarious Trajectory”: NASA’s security advisers warn that the company’s efforts to transition from the Worldwide House Station to industrial area stations with out a hole are on a “precarious trajectory.” At a July 21 assembly of the Aerospace Security Advisory Panel, members mentioned they had been involved that industrial stations whose improvement is being supported by NASA had been unlikely to be prepared in time earlier than the ISS is retired on the finish of the last decade, and that these efforts suffered from inadequate budgets. These plans, known as Industrial Leo Earth Orbit (LEO) Locations by NASA, “are on a precarious trajectory to realization on a schedule and throughout the projected sources wanted to take care of a NASA LEO presence,” mentioned Patricia Sanders, chair of the panel. “That is an space of concern for us.” (Space News)
NASA Aiming for Late August Take a look at Flight of Big Moon Rocket: On the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar touchdown, NASA introduced final Wednesday it’s taking pictures for a late August launch of its large, new moon rocket. NASA will try the greater than month-long lunar take a look at flight with three mannequins, however no astronauts, as early as Aug. 29. There are additionally two launch dates in early September, earlier than NASA must stand down for 2 weeks. (Politico)
Draper Wins NASA Contract for Far aspect Lunar Lander Mission: NASA awarded a contract to Draper to ship three science devices to the far aspect of the moon via a industrial payload supply program. NASA introduced July 21 it chosen a staff led by Draper for the 2025 mission to land in Schrödinger Basin, an influence basin about 320 kilometers throughout on the lunar farside close to the south pole. The duty order, awarded via the company’s Industrial Lunar Payload Providers (CLPS) program, is value $73 million. The lander, known as SERIES-2 by Draper, will ship to Schrödinger Basin three experiments to gather seismic information, measure the warmth movement and electrical conductivity of the lunar subsurface and measure electromagnetic phenomena created by the interplay of the photo voltaic wind and plasma with the lunar floor. (Space News)
Protection/DOD
Military Recruiting Challenges Imply Drive May Shrink by Tens of 1000’s Extra Troopers: Within the span of simply a few years, the Military faces the prospect of seeing its lively responsibility power shrink by as a lot as 8.5%. It’s not for lack of funding, budgets have been strong. It’s primarily as a result of it’s gotten a heck of loads tougher in current months to entice the tens of 1000’s of latest recruits the Military personnel system calls for annually, and officers don’t see the issue getting higher anytime quickly. The service began its planning for fiscal yr 2023 figuring out it was going to have a giant recruiting problem on its fingers. However the activity turned out to be much more daunting than officers first believed, and the service’s lively responsibility finish energy will probably decline by tens of 1000’s of further troopers subsequent yr. (Federal News Network)
DHS & Immigration
Authorities Eyes Plan to Give I.D.s to Unauthorized Immigrants: The Biden administration plans to check offering momentary I.D. playing cards to unauthorized immigrants awaiting a ultimate choice on their circumstances, in response to two authorities sources accustomed to the planning. Latest border crossers and different unauthorized immigrants within the U.S. typically don’t have I.D.s , making it harder to entry housing, healthcare, transportation and different advantages. (Axios)
Judiciary/DOJ
DOJ to Examine Unlawful Dumping Complaints in opposition to Metropolis of Houston: The Division of Justice (DOJ) on Friday introduced an environmental justice investigation into stories of unlawful dumping by the town of Houston in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. (The Hill)
Biden to Request $37B in Annual Finances to Help Police and Stop Crime: President Biden will request $37 billion within the annual price range to go in the direction of supporting regulation enforcement and for crime prevention, the White Home introduced on Thursday. The request will probably be a part of Fiscal 2023 price range course of and Biden was set to announce it final week earlier than he examined constructive for COVID and canceled the occasion. (The Hill)
Cyber
Inexpensive Connectivity Program sees 1M signups: Vice President Kamala Harris, talking in North Carolina on Thursday, mentioned that 1 million U.S. households have signed up within the final two months for the Inexpensive Connectivity Program (ACP), a $65 billion portion of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation supposed to assist customers minimize their family prices for high-speed Web providers. (Fierce Telecom)
Official says White Home to Meet with Rail Trade Earlier than Issuing Cybersecurity Guidelines: The White Home plans to seek the advice of with leaders of the rail business subsequent month on a brand new cybersecurity directive, in response to Deputy Nationwide Safety Advisor for Cyber and Rising Tech Anne Neuberger. Talking on the Aspen Safety Discussion board, Neuberger mentioned safety directives the administration issued for the pipeline sector final yr—in response to a ransomware assault that led to a run on gas provides alongside the East Coast—had been “a significant change which we then rolled on to further sectors.” (NextGov)
Agriculture/USDA
USDA Publicizes Elevated Funding for College Meals, Little one and Grownup Care Meals: U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) introduced a rise in funding to assist faculties proceed to serve youngsters wholesome meals this coming faculty yr and supply monetary reduction for faculties and youngster care suppliers. Efficient July 1, 2022, the reimbursement faculties obtain for every meal served will enhance by roughly $0.68 per free/reduced-price lunch and $0.32 per free/diminished value breakfast. Different reimbursement charges, together with charges for paid faculty meals and youngster care meals, can be found on-line. (USDA)
Division of Vitality
Biden to Pursue Wind Vitality within the Gulf of Mexico: The Biden administration will pursue the event of offshore wind power within the Gulf of Mexico, the White Home mentioned final week. The brand new proposed offshore wind areas within the Gulf would signify the primary time that wind power is produced within the Gulf, which is usually a hub for oil and gasoline manufacturing. (The Hill)
