Civic Register
| 1.18.22

Senate to Hold Doomed Vote on Filibuster Reform as House Takes Up VA Enrollment Bill
How do you feel about this week’s congressional schedule?
What’s happening in Congress?
- The Senate is expected to hold votes this week on Democrats’ plan to eliminate or weaken the chamber’s legislative filibuster despite lacking enough support among Democratic lawmakers to succeed, while the House will consider legislation to automatically enroll eligible veterans into the VA healthcare system.
SENATE SCHEDULE
- The Senate will convene Tuesday, although no floor votes are expected and the chamber will likely remain in a period of morning business wherein senators can give speeches of up to 10 minutes.
- At a time to be announced, the Senate will take votes related to changing or eliminating the chamber’s legislative filibuster to allow more bills to pass without being subject to a 60 vote threshold. This process is expected to fail as a majority of senators, including all 50 Republicans and at least two Democrats, oppose the elimination of the filibuster.
- The Senate may also consider a confirmation vote on a circuit court nomination later in the week.
- Committees will hold hearings on judicial nominations; and a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters.
HOUSE SCHEDULE
- The House starts its week Tuesday with a vote on a bill to give local educational agencies additional flexibility by using pre-pandemic data to calculate their funding needs.
- Wednesday will feature votes on legislation to improve disclosures related to spending on Puerto Rico’s recovery and bills to award a pair of Congressional Gold Medals. On
- The House is expected to vote Thursday or Friday on a bill to automatically enroll qualified veterans in the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system, and additional bills may be considered.
- Committees will hold hearings on price gouging in military contracts; healthcare for toxic-exposed veterans; and making Congress work better for the American people.
Check below throughout the week to see the vote results and updates to the schedule.
Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.
HOUSE
Tuesday after 6:30pm (under suspension of the rules)
- S. 2959: Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act Passed 414-6.
Wednesday after 12pm (under suspension of the rules)
- Senate Amendment to H.R. 1192: Puerto Rico Recovery Accuracy in Disclosures Act
- S. 1404: Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act
- S. 452: Willie O’Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act
Thursday after 12pm or Friday between 9am and 3pm
- H.R. 4673: EVEST Act
- Additional legislative items are possible.
SENATE
Tuesday
- Morning business, senators may give 10-minute speeches.
- No votes are expected.
Wednesday
- Cloture motion on the motion to concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5746: Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act
- Possible votes related to changing Senate rules to eliminate or weaken the legislative filibuster.
To Be Announced
- Confirmation of Holly Thomas to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills and share your thoughts below!
— Eric Revell
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Congress lol, I want a refund on my taxes!! Fire them all. Do nothing idiot’s.
@Bonnie’s recent comment raises a question. To users with high numbers of followers and many commenters agreeing with their comments: Have you ever called your Reps’ offices and see if they are keeping records of (a) the comments you send to them through Causes, and (b) the list of commenters that agree. I know my Congressperson gets my Causes comments that I send through Causes because I get frequent automated acknowledgements. Not so much from my Senators. From prior experience, when I wrote & mailed letters to a one time Rep, I learned those letters were somehow recorded. Learning that freaked me out at the time. Some of my writing was kind of "uncivilized" but pretty tame if Trump and his vile gang form the measure.
@Bonnie, I agree with you about forming groups to contact multiple reps. I doubt Causes will do that but try. Have you contacted Causes directly? "Talk to us via email at editorial [at] causes.com. And don’t forget to keep in touch @Causes." (See link to @Bonnie's comment below). Bear in mind that since Causes is free, use the Social Media Rule that says, "if you are using a free service, you are the product, not the user." We aren't clear on Cause's goals. You might want to see if there is an advocacy service that we can join that can show collective interests and objectives. @Bonnie wrote: "... I think CAUSES need to allow our comments to be heard by more than those representing our districts. My messages need to be heard by all Senators and Reps. By having us preach to the choir, so to speak, CAUSES is no better than Facebook with their logarithm in this matter. Our voices need to be heard by the opposing thought or we will not be heard!" Full Comment: https://www.causes.com/comments/1516371
Democracy is taking a back seat while our country drives it self into a ditch. Too many people are culpable for turning our elections into a debacle. Many Republicans are getting away with crimes and this emboldens them to suppress the vote and keep moving forward with the Big Lie.
Thank you, Dave! 😊❤️😊. We all need to focus on the good things Biden has done, so far. We need to focus on his vision of our country, which includes voting rights, infrastructure, universal child care, and so much more. The Repugnants have produced absolutely no vision for America, except for one of lies, stonewalling and division. America is being run into the ground by them. WE, ABSOLUTELY, MUST STOP THIS TRAIN OF DESTRUCTION, BEFORE THEY RUN US STRAIGHT OFF A CLIFF.
TO ALL U.S. SENATORS - IF YOU DO NOT PASS THE VOTING RIGHTS BILL, YOU WILL INSURE THAT A FREE AMERICA NO LONGER EXISTS. THERE WILL BE NO REPUBLICAN PARTY. THERE WILL ONLY BE A PARTY OF A NARCISSISTIC, MISOGYNISTIC, LYING, THIEVING, ETC., PIG! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO TRUTH AND JUSTICE? DONALD J. TRUMP!
Michaek777, sounds like a good idea to me! 😊❤️😊
Ruth, you are on a roll! ❤️😊❤️😊
One Thing good about Trump, he brought out all the right wing authoritarian wackos to the forefront to be counted and their corruption. Now the GOP and Dem can all be counted if they end or don’t end the filibuster. Lies are protected by freedom of speed, but consequences are not! Biden is not failing the American people , it your representative, mainly in the GOP senate are!
Fear mongering Mitch McConnell warn of a “nuclear winter” if the democrats change the rule of the filibuster, it works both ways and the do nothing republicans might be force to do something for once and participate in a democracy. The filibuster only there to keep power in corporate America and not with the American people.
I know it’s not the prevailing opinion. But getting past our current problems, imagine what will happen if we give the evil Republicans this tool. It would be like giving Sauron the ring.
The vote must be taken, we need to see which senators are against voting rights for all.
Well said, Joann! ❤️😊❤️
I wonder what our murderer in chief is using today to deflect from the truth. Can you say voting rights that we already have?
I find it mind blowing that the GOP doesn’t want to work out a deal on voting rights. They all complain constantly about stop the steal and push the big lie to get donations but won’t fix stop the steal and pass a voting rights bill. They just want to sit at their desks and tweet and smack talk the Democrats. What a waste of tax payer money. If you really want to stop the steal pass a voting rights bill.
I am not holding my breath for any significant legislation to pass Congress this year because of the archaic Senate. President Biden should just sign executive orders decriminalizing weed and forgiving student debt, and that will be enough for most Americans to vote Democrat in the midterms, quite frankly.
Let me see if I have Senator Schumer's logic down. Both Mansion and Sinema are from purple States with sizable Red State voters who enthusiastically support their stance. And less liberal blue inState Dems are not plentiful enough to elect a loyal Lemming Dem. So in an effort to put these two on the spot all Dems will be asked to do a recorded vote during an election year not favorable to Dems,all in an effort to solidify their base. But it will alienate those inState Red voters. This brilliant Schumer move may cost the Dem's the Senate all by providing documentation of stupidity. The vote is meaningless except as political theater with a forgone result. Because the measure will lose every Dem in a close race against a generic Republican provides an actual opponent amunition. Yep brilliant, time to replace Schumer and find some real leadership.
Hello everyone
Republicans, that served in the military now a representative, voted against benefits for the national guard, which was their back up plan. The deployment of the National guard domestic in national disasters (floods, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes), civil unrest (back up policies), border patrol, coronavirus and even driving school buses. The minimum they serve is 6 years and on call 24/7.
Hello