Four things to watch in Congress as lawmakers return from break
Ryan King
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Congress is set to reconvene Monday from its two-week hiatus, teeing up a hectic agenda as lawmakers scramble to address recent developments.
As lawmakers filter through the halls of Congress once again, they will grapple with the debt limit battle, Democrats’ likely attempt to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on the Judiciary Committee, a public rebuke of District Attorney Alvin Bragg through a field hearing in Manhattan, and the return of key members who had been out for medical care.
LAWMAKERS RETURN TO WASHINGTON WITH NO DEBT CEILING DEAL IN SIGHT
Here is a look at four key points on the docket for Congress’s return.
Debt ceiling crisis
Top of mind for lawmakers is the looming debt ceiling battle, which has seen very little to no progress in the roughly three-month period since the United States reached its borrowing authority.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is set to deliver remarks at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday morning to take on President Joe Biden more sharply than in the past.
“We are seeing in real-time the effects of reckless government spending. Record inflation, and the hardships it causes. Rising interest rates. Supply chain shortages. Instability in the banking system. And uncertainty across the board,” McCarthy will say, per Punchbowl News. “I haven’t heard from the White House since our first meeting.”
Serious breakthroughs this week appear unlikely. Behind the scenes, Republicans have been crafting their proposal to address the lingering crisis. They are reportedly eyeing an offer to lift the debt limit until around May 2024 in exchange for sharp cuts, possibly as much as $3 trillion to $4 trillion over the next decade.
Biden rejected the GOP push for spending cuts and insisted budget negotiations occur separately from the debt ceiling. He has demanded a clean bill to lift the debt ceiling and presented a $6.9 trillion budget that calls for increases in spending. Neither side shows signs of blinking.
The U.S. hit the $31.4 trillion debt limit in January. Since then, the Treasury Department has been keeping the funds flowing via “extraordinary” measures, but that is expected to run out sometime between June and September, according to various estimates.
Targeting Alvin Bragg
Just before lawmakers were on the cusp of leaving the Capitol for the two-week break, news broke of the Manhattan grand jury’s decision to indict former President Donald Trump on 34 counts. The development sent shock waves throughout the Beltway.
Now that Republicans are back on the hill, their plans to redress the development will start to take shape. On Monday, members of the House Judiciary Committee will hold a field hearing in Manhattan about “victims of violent crime,” offering a rebuke of Bragg, particularly his record on prosecuting crime.
Democrats are seeking to counter the hearing with a press conference headlined by New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, with gun control advocates.
Earlier this month, Bragg asked a judge to block a House Judiciary Committee subpoena seeking information about his inquiry on Trump. Some Republicans are also considering measures that would allow people to push back against aggressive prosecutors.
Feinstein’s absence from the Senate
Democrats have long been quietly frustrated over Feinstein’s absence from the upper chamber. Due to narrow Democratic control over the Senate, her absence has frustrated efforts to ram through Biden’s judicial nominees.
Last week, that irritation simmered over when Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) called on her to step down. In the face of progressive pressure, Feinstein asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to appoint a temporary replacement for her on the judiciary panel to keep Biden’s nominees flowing.
Feinstein, 89, has been absent since February with shingles.
To swap a senator with Feinstein, Schumer must amend the chamber’s organizing resolution. Republicans have already hinted they will block that maneuver, which will mean Democrats likely need 10 defections from the GOP to break a filibuster.
Fetterman and McConnell return
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) are poised to make their grand returns to the upper chamber following weeks of medical treatment.
Fetterman has been absent since checking himself into the hospital for treatment for clinical depression but is expected to be back in the Capitol this week. McConnell had been out since March, when he fell at the Waldorf Astoria hotel during a March 8 private dinner.
He received treatment at an inpatient rehab facility for a concussion and rib fracture.
Both men have been in touch with their counterparts, with McConnell calling his Republican caucus and Fetterman co-sponsoring legislation during their absence.
It’s been nearly eight months since the Senate has had a full chamber, with at least one senator absent from every roll call vote since August 2022. While that is not expected to change this week, due to Feinstein’s continued ailments, the Senate will inch closer to a full cohort.
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Other matters that will likely be on lawmakers’ radar this week include abortion and the recent leak of classified military documents. This week, the Supreme Court is expected to issue another order on the Texas ruling that froze approval for mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen to induce abortion. Democrats have been keen on addressing the matter.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) said there would be hearings into how a 21-year-old was able to access and leak troves of sensitive military files, including information about the war in Ukraine.