House to Take Up COVID Relief & Senate to Consider Cabinet Nominees

What’s happening in Congress?

• The House is expected to vote this week on the final passage of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus (COVID-19) relief package, while the Senate works to confirm more of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees. 

SENATE SCHEDULE

• The Senate starts its week Tuesday with procedural votes on the nominations of Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to be secretary of housing and urban development and Judge Merrick Garland to be attorney general. If the procedural votes succeed, the nominees will be confirmed on Wednesday.
• After the Senate completes its work on those two nominations, it will take a procedural vote on the nomination of Michael Regan to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Committees will hold hearings on the COVID-19 response, Gamestop and retail investing, along with climate change in the electricity sector.

HOUSE SCHEDULE 

• The House starts its week on Monday and is expected to be in session for votes through Thursday. As early as Tuesday, the House will take up the Senate’s amended version of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
• Additionally, the House will vote on a pair of bills to strengthen background checks in firearm purchases, along with a bill to increase union membership and prevent the misclassification of employees as contractors.
• Committees will hold hearings on the Biden administration’s foreign policy with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, and food insecurity in America.

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

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

HOUSE

Monday after 6:30pm

• H.R. 485: Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1085: To award three congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1528: Promoting Transparent Standards for Corporate Insiders Act Vote postponed.
• H.R. __: Eliminate Barriers to Innovation Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1395: Housing Financial Literacy Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1532: Improving FHA Support for Small Dollar Mortgages Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1491: Fair Debt Collection for Servicemembers Act Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1565: Senior Security Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1502: Microloan Improvement Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1487: Microloan Transparency and Accountability Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1490: 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1482: 504 Credit Risk Management Improvement Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1276: VA VACCINE Act of 2021 Vote postponed.
• Rule for H.R. 8: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021; H.R. 1446: Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021; & H.R. 842: Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021

Tuesday after 12pm

• H.R. 842: Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021 Passed 225-206.
• Rule for Senate Amendment to H.R. 1319: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
• H.R. 1276: VA VACCINE Act of 2021 Passed by unanimous consent.

Wednesday after 9am

• Senate Amendment to H.R. 1319: American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Passed 220-211.
• Amendments to H.R. 8: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021
• Amendments to H.R. 1446: Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021

Thursday between 9am and 3pm

• H.R. 8: Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 Passed 227-203.
• H.R. 1446: Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 Passed 219-210.

SENATE

Monday 

• No votes are expected.

Tuesday after 5:30pm

• Cloture motion on the nomination of Marcia Fudge to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Invoked 69-30.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General Invoked 70-29.

Wednesday after 12pm

• Confirmation of Marcia Fudge as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Confirmed 66-34.
• Confirmation of Merrick Garland as Attorney General Confirmed 70-30.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Michael Regan to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Invoked 65-35.
• Confirmation of Michael Regan as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Confirmed 66-34.

Thursday after 12pm

• Cloture motion on the nomination of Deb Haaland to be Secretary of the Interior Invoked 54-42.
• Motion to discharge nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services from committee Agreed to discharge 51-48.

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

— Eric Revell