Civic Register
| 2.13.22

Senate Returns to Pass Short-Term Gov’t Funding Bill & Postal Reform as House Goes on Recess
How do you feel about this week’s congressional schedule?
What’s happening in Congress?
- The Senate returns to D.C. this week with an eye toward sending to President Joe Biden’s desk a stopgap funding bill that would prevent a government shutdown from occurring at midnight Friday.
- Senators are also expected to consider a bipartisan Postal Service reform bill and may take up a Russia sanctions bill if Democratic and Republican negotiators are able to reach a compromise.
- Meanwhile, House lawmakers will begin what’s expected to be a two-week break from floor work.
SENATE SCHEDULE
- The Senate starts its week Monday with a procedural vote on the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act, which passed the House on a bipartisan 342-92 vote last week. A vote on final passage is expected to occur before the end of the week.
- At a time to be announced, senators will take up the House-passed bill to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown through March 11th. To avert the shutdown, the Senate will need to pass the bill before midnight on Friday, February 18th.
- Senators may consider a bipartisan sanctions bill aimed at deterring and/or punishing Russian aggression against Ukraine. While a bipartisan group of senators has negotiated a number of provisions that would feature prominently in the package, there were several unresolved issues at the end of last week so it’s unclear how quickly the package can be finalized.
- Committees will hold hearings on addressing barriers to youth mental healthcare;
HOUSE SCHEDULE
- The House has a district work period this week as part of what’s expected to be a two-week recess from floor work that will continue after President’s Day next week.
- While lawmakers won’t be holding floor votes this week, some committees will hold hybrid or remote hearings.
- Committees will hold hearings on strategies for electric grid resilience and reliability; the Environmental Justice For All Act; and “Why Congress Needs to Abolish the Debt Limit”.
Check below throughout the week to see the vote results and updates to the schedule.
Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.
HOUSE
- No votes are expected.
- The House is scheduled to return for its next floor votes on Monday, February 28th.
SENATE
Monday after 5:30pm
- Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3076: Postal Service Reform Act
Rest of the week
- Passage of H.R. 3076: Postal Service Reform Act
- Possible cloture motion on H.R. 6617: Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act
- Passage of H.R. 6617: Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act
- Cloture motion on the nomination of Robert Califf to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dept. of Health and Human Services
- Cloture motion on S.Res. 467: Arecibo Observatory with technical amendments
- Cloture motion on S.Res. 510: National Poll Worker Recruitment Day
Tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills and share your thoughts below!
— Eric Revell
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It was all about spending OUR money and not asking the public FIRST! You boys and girls had better get it together or you'll be looking at unemployment...like the rest of us.
Once again the government can't get its act together and have a real budget. So much time is wasted on these ridiculous stop gap measures. Get your act together!
I wish I had a job like the members of the House. Lots of vacation, good retirement and medical benefits.
Republicans are still trying to block and stall any real legislation to post office whether funding or the security of the national mail service. Which is the only government Agency or private entity require to full fund for seven years into the future retirement payments? What also is interesting, is republicans, democrats, independents, businesses and corporations use mass mailings though the USPS.
Busy, Doing What????
Wow, real heady stuff we're dealing with here. Environmental Justice for All? Too absurd to even make comment on other than one poster misread the topic to be "economic" justice. Or Abolish the Debt Limit. Really? Does your bank continue to pay your checks or authorize withdrawals from your account even after you're overdrawn? Just as absurd is another unearned break in the action for den mother Nanny and the wacko liberal majority in the House. Of significance is the need to address the aged and failing electrical grid. That would be some meaningful work especially when looney leftists want to go electric for every possible mode of transportation. Falsely so, they believe they are somehow saving the planet in the process. First thing we need to do is test them all on the origin of the electricity that powers their keyboard. We have experienced government shutdowns and two things happened. First, they all still got paid and secondly, we found that we really didn't miss them all that much.
Get build back better done and handle our two sellouts Manchin and Sinema.
Why does congress continue to do CR’s rather than fund the government the way they should? CR’s were started in 2010 when the Tea-party came into the Republican Party and they didn’t want to fully fund the Obama administration. It hasn’t stopped since. We need to get back to a fully funded government and stop all this crap. Republicans have been the problem for over a decade and it has to stop. We should demand more from our elected officials! We need more Democrats to get the work of the people done. Republicans have proved they won’t do it.
I just see a bunch of drama and nothing will get done. Recess again!?! Are you f***ing kidding me!?! W! T! F! Democracy hangs by a thread! Too much needs fixing! I think it's time for executive actions on all these issues because playing nice with a bunch of nutjobs blocking everything, dragging it all out and just kicking the can down the road does not work for We The People. I expect things to be done. I voted for you all to do your jobs and get things done. Sure, some stuff has been done but there are bigger fish to fry and this is where I say executive actions are needed. No more pussyfooting around with the wall of bullshit!
I’m always glad to see a slate of work scheduled the problem is always whether there will be an outcome of progress for the people or just more obstruction by Republicans. Seeing the bipartisan nature of the Post Office bill in the House is encouraging for the Senate passing it as well. The government funding is always an issue and it’s about time that this is done annually…good thing we don’t run our households and businesses like this or we’d really be in trouble in the US!
Get rid of the debt ceiling already! It just ties up Congress, with one party threatening another using government employees & the military as pawns! Enough! “Both major political parties have supported and facilitated the concentration of wealth in America and both major political parties now condone and abet this latest transfer of wealth. "Stimulus" monies were allowed to pass through your hands on the way to their final destination in Corporate Coffers. Because blatantly subsidizing big business, without tossing the Serfs a few Coppers, looks bad. But hey, be sure to focus entirely on a few minor issues your chosen party has paid lip service too, instead of acknowledging one simple fact Economic Justice IS, "(Insert Favorite Sociopolitical Issue Here), Justice." In a world of absurdly concentrated wealth, any other type of justice or freedom is a complete illusion.”-Paul Field Tax the wealthy & corporations, so that they pay their fair share. Look up how much Tesla will pay in taxes this year (that would be $0, despite record breaking profits.) Then cut military spending by at least 10%. Watch how fast the deficit goes down.
And the house is on vacation again.
Way off topic… So everyone learned you just need to stop those performance enhancing drugs a day or two earlier AND if you’re a minor, and I dare say, Russian, you just should know better! Your trainer, doctor, mother, father or anyone else should have ‘SCOLDED’ you so much earlier to stop those over zealous, personal DRUG choices YOU DEMANDED OVER THOSE ‘ADULT SUPERVISORS’ worrying about your health, oh and maybe Putin’s self concerns. Anything for Gold! …. That’s ROC! USA building up a medal count of our own, WITHOUT CHEATING! But, I really do feel for Ms. Valieva. She should never have been ‘placed’ in this position. … Ok, no supporting news articles, just a late Sunday night (ok, a fairly inebriated and smoke induced) quick(?) reaction! 😗😆😊👍🤞🖖. Ok, so brady, cornyn and cruz, you with US, or putin! I hate that I have to ask, but I really would like you to SAY SOMETHING! Your silence says it all!
I can see it is a very strenuous work week for the lords and dames in charge. Postal reform, and kicking the can down the road on govt spending. Do some real work for the people. Pass a budget and stop the continued spending. If the congress were paid a day rate they would be at work!
Senate is OK this week Working on Russian Sanctions & the Post Office Deal Alone is Enough for a slight smile. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 House seems doing its Due Diligence formulating new legislation, doing district work and more committee meetings. 👍🏼👍🏼 Remember: We need to get more blue seats in both houses. Must get 60 blue seats in the Senate!
Congress has been progressing through the highest number of major bipartisan legislation within the last decade in just this month alone: Postal Service Reform that will save us billions of tax dollars, a ban on forced arbitration in cases of sexual harassment and assault allegations, a broad U.S.-China competition bill to crack down on imports produced by forced labor, an reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to defend women against abuse, and a ban on lawmakers from trading stocks! Stop saying Democrats are not doing anything because they are doing ALOT of things this month! Doomsayers and pessimists on the internet will never admit this truth.
Why do these politicians leave funding our government until the last second? Stupid drama? I bet there is some kind of new poison pill in the USPS bill since it cancels the requirement to pre-fund for 75 YEARS into the future postal workers' retirement fund and medical care. I'll also bet they still won't vote to confirm President Biden's last 2 nominees to the USPS Board of Governors. Economic sanctions on Russia if they invade Ukraine are a must, but I won't hold my breath. Will republicans still refuse to vote "Aye" on anything and everything?
Keep it going, like all delays in budget approval, delays cost more than they save. Pass a full budget, please?
Holy Moly! Now this A developing story. Curious to see if it catches on: Marjorie Taylor Green is Calling Ronald Reagan a RINO. "Former President Ronald Reagan was the standard-bearer for the Republican Party for a generation, but in the new GOP, he's just another RINO. That's according to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who attacked Reagan's notorious 11th Commandment. "During his 1966 gubernatorial campaign, Reagan explained that no matter the issue or disagreement, "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." Greene and the rest of the House GOP have changed that rule." Curious: I wonder what MTG thinks about Sarah Palin who is back in the news with a lawsuit against the NYTimes. She claims the NYTimes damaged her career. LOL! The judge made the unusual move of deciding to dismiss the case while the jury was in deliberation. Judge dismisses Palin's libel lawsuit against New York Times -APNews https://apnews.com/article/62f1a0a693a5330082d2bbb1ee533669
I’m glad they’re making an effort to reform how the Postal Service works.