House Cloakroom: June 10 – 14

Analysis: This week, the House will take up its annual authorization of the Department of Defense. This bill will lay out the programs and policies for the department for the 2014 fiscal year that Congress will later fund through the appropriations process. The Heritage Foundation lists the top 10 items Congress needs to include in the bill here.

Major Floor Action:

  • HR 1960 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

Major Committee Action:

  • The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on “Alternative Housing Finance Models.”
  • The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade will hold a hearing on an “Export-Import Bank Overhaul.”
  • The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on “International Food Aid Modernization.”
  • The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on “States’ Perspectives on Medicaid Overhaul.”

Senate Cloakroom: June 10 – 14

Analysis: This week, the Senate will begin extensive debate on the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform bill. The bill would almost immediately grant amnesty to individuals who entered the country illegally, allowing them to live and work in the United States. As a result, they would jump to the head of the line, in front of millions who are waiting to enter the country legally. Heritage Foundation analyst Robert Rector estimates the long-term cost of this legislation would be in the trillions.

Major Floor Action:

  • S 744 – Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act

Major Committee Action:

  • The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing on its reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.
  • The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the “Political Status of Puerto Rico.”
  • The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a markup of the FY 2014 Defense Authorization.