House to Take Up COVID Relief Package & ‘Equality Act’ While Senate Confirms Cabinet Nominees

What’s happening in Congress?

• Congress returns from recess this week with the House expected to take up Democrats’ coronavirus (COVID-19) relief package and the Senate set to confirm more nominees to President Joe Biden’s Cabinet.

SENATE SCHEDULE

• The Senate starts its week Monday with a procedural vote on the nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, which will set up a likely confirmation vote on Tuesday or Wednesday.
• It will also vote Tuesday on the confirmation of Tom Vilsack to be secretary of agriculture. Additional confirmation votes may occur later in the week.
• Committees will hold hearings on the nominations of Merrick Garland to be attorney general, Deb Haaland to be secretary of the interior, Xavier Becerra to be secretary of health and human services, and William Burns to be director of the CIA; in addition to the impact of emerging technologies on national security. 

HOUSE SCHEDULE 

• The House starts its week Tuesday with votes on six bipartisan bills under the fast-track “suspension of the rules” process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage.
• Later in the week, it will vote on a bill to designate gender identity and sexual orientation as “protected classes” under civil rights law, in addition to a bill to designate nearly 1.5 million acres of land in California, Colorado, and Washington as wilderness.
• The House is also expected to take up Democrats’ COVID-19 relief package through the reconciliation process. The bill will be marked up by the Budget Committee on Monday, and will likely reach the House floor at the end of the week, potentially during next weekend.
• Committees will hold hearings on monetary policy and the state of the economy, U.S. foreign policy, and proposals to put the U.S. Postal Service on sustainable financial footing.

Check below throughout the week to see the vote results and updates to the schedule.

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

HOUSE

Monday 

• No votes are expected.

Tuesday after 6:30pm (under suspension of the rules)

• H.R. 546: Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act Recorded vote postponed.
• H.R. 1192: PRRADA Act Recorded vote postponed.
• H.R. 208: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 500 West Main Street, Suite 102 in Tupelo, Mississippi, as the "Colonel Carlyle 'Smitty' Harris Post Office” Passed 406-15.
• H.R. 264: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1101 Charlotte Street in Georgetown, South Carolina, as the "Joseph Hayne Rainey Memorial Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 813: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1050 Sunset Road Southwest in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the “Jose Hernandez Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 772: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 229 Minnetonka Avenue South in Wayzata, Minnesota, as the "Jim Ramstad Post Office” Passed by voice vote.

Wednesday after 12pm

• H.R. 546: Effective Assistance of Counsel in the Digital Era Act Passed 414-11.
• H.R. 1192: PRRADA Act Passed 429-0.

Thursday after 12pm

• H.R. 5: Equality Act Passed 224-206.
• Amendments to H.R. 803: Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act

Friday after 9am

• H.R. 803: Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act Passed 227-200.
• H.R. 1319: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Passed 219-212.

SENATE

Monday after 5:30pm

• Cloture motion on the nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be Ambassador to the United Nations Invoked 75-20.

Tuesday after 11:30pm

• Confirmation of Linda Thomas-Greenfield as Ambassador to the United Nations Confirmed 78-20.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be U.S. Representative to the UN General Assembly Invoked 77-20.
• Confirmation of Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. Representative to the UN General Assembly Confirmed 78-21.
• Confirmation of Tom Vilsack to be Secretary of Agriculture Confirmed 92-7.

Wednesday after 12pm

• Cloture motion on the nomination of Jennifer Granholm to be Secretary of Energy Invoked 67-32.

Thursday after 12pm

• Confirmation of Jennifer Granholm as Secretary of Energy Confirmed 64-35.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Miguel Cardona to be Secretary of Education Invoked 66-32.

Tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills and share your thoughts below!

— Eric Revell