{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"icon":"excited","color":"#EE4950","stance":"excited"},{"icon":"happy","color":"#EDB723","stance":"happy"},{"icon":"apathetic","color":"#3AB093","stance":"apathetic"},{"icon":"sad","color":"#5ACDED","stance":"sad"},{"icon":"angry","color":"#624960","stance":"angry"}],"id":45256,"title":"Senate Debates $740B Defense Authorization, House Passes $1.5T Transportation & Infrastructure Package Plus an Obamacare Expansion","html_content":"

by Causes | 7.2.20

What’s happening in Congress?

Congress convenes this week for a busy week ahead of the Fourth of July recess.
The House’s agenda features a $1.5 trillion transportation & infrastructure package plus an expansion of Obamacare. Meanwhile, the Senate will be focused on the annual defense authorization bill.

SENATE SCHEDULE

The Senate starts its week Monday with a procedural vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, which authorizes $740 billion in defense spending for the coming year in addition to setting defense policy for the year.
The NDAA aims to reorient defense policy to ensure the military’s readiness for potential challenges from near-peer competitors like China & Russia. It would also establish a commission to remove Confederate artifacts from military installations, and rename Army bases named for Confederates.
After Monday’s vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will likely file a cloture motion on the bill, setting up another procedural vote for Wednesday barring unanimous consent to vote sooner. After that cloture vote, there may be amendment votes before the Senate gets to a vote on final passage, which may or may not occur this week.
The Senate could also take a re-vote on a procedural motion to start debate on police reform, which failed last week when all but three Democrats voted against further debate.
\nCommittees will hold several hearings, including on U.S. & global pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response; an update on getting back to work & school safely amid the pandemic; and infrastructure development opportunities.

HOUSE SCHEDULE

The House also begins its week Monday with a slate of several bills, which will be headlined by a bill to increase the insurance premium assistance tax credits under Obamacare, provide funding to states that expand Medicaid & cut funding to those that don’t, and give Medicare power to negotiate drug prices.
Monday will also feature the consideration of bills to protect credit scores, create a $100 billion program to assist renters, and reverse Trump administration regulations under the Community Reinvestment Act.
The rest of the week will be focused on consideration of a $1.5 trillion package for highways, public transit, and projects to upgrade the energy efficiency of schools & hospitals.
\nCommittees will hold several hearings, including on the Park Police’s response to protesters in Lafayette Park; the Treasury & Federal Reserve’s pandemic response; and the implications of China’s new national security law in Hong Kong.

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 10am

\nH.R. 1425: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act Passed 234-179.\n
\nH.R. 5332: Protecting Your Credit Score Act of 2019 Passed 234-179.\n
\nH.R. 7301: Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020 Passed 232-180.\n
\nH.J.Res. 90: Overturning the Community Reinvestment Act Regulation Changes Passed 230-179.\n

Tuesday after 12pm

Debate on & amendments to H.R. 2: Moving Forward Act

Wednesday after 12pm

\nH.R. 2: Moving Forward Act Passed 233-188.\n

SENATE

Monday after 5:30pm

Motion to proceed to S. 4049: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 Adopted 89-4.\n

Thursday

Cloture motion on the nomination of Russell Vought to be Director of the Office of Management & Budge Invoked 47-44.\n

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

— Eric Revell

","image_urls":{"large":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/akW3yomg/a24a44/TWIC-6.png","medium":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/akW3yomg/a24a44/TWIC-6.png","small":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/akW3yomg/a24a44/TWIC-6.png","thumb":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/akW3yomg/a24a44/TWIC-6.png","xsmall":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/akW3yomg/a24a44/TWIC-6.png"},"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/articles/45256-senate-debates-740b-defense-authorization-house-passes-1-5t-transportation-infrastructure-package-plus-obamacare-expansion","article_comments":"https://www.causes.com/api/articles/45256-senate-debates-740b-defense-authorization-house-passes-1-5t-transportation-infrastructure-package-plus-obamacare-expansion/comments"},"comment_count":128,"action_count":960,"cta_prompt":"How do you feel about this week’s congressional schedule?","cta_type":"reactions","share_count":17,"published_at":"2020-07-03T01:20:22.158Z","is_countable_article":true,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null}],"users":[{"name":"Jean","vote_count":477,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/236677013530178/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/236677013530178/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/236677013530178/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/236677013530178/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/aW56yyaZ/following","followers":"/api/users/aW56yyaZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":12,"is_following":null,"influence_score":440,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":14,"following_count":8,"position_count":302,"id":"aW56yyaZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"Leslie","vote_count":460,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211586901854267/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/Bmyny8a9/following","followers":"/api/users/Bmyny8a9/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":13,"is_following":null,"influence_score":17470,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":794,"following_count":13389,"position_count":273,"id":"Bmyny8a9","partner_id":null},{"name":"Dicr","vote_count":221,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/e9XBdlXZ/large_e9xbdlxz-1538070422.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/e9XBdlXZ/small_e9xbdlxz-1538070422.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/e9XBdlXZ/tiny_e9xbdlxz-1538070422.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/e9XBdlXZ/following","followers":"/api/users/e9XBdlXZ/followers"},"about_me":"Concerned American who wants to leave a better America for our children and a better world for all.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"dicr","issue_count":25,"is_following":null,"influence_score":6120,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":222,"following_count":2,"position_count":159,"id":"e9XBdlXZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"jimK","vote_count":569,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/large_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/small_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/9odrQBnb/tiny_9odrqbnb-1557000969.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/following","followers":"/api/users/9odrQBnb/followers"},"about_me":"Retired, Politically Independent. Won’t listen to slogans, chanted mantras or generally any kind of marketing spin or “rebranding” crap. I firmly believe that everyone else is entitled to their erroneous opinions. Citizen vigilance and due diligence is price we must pay to live in a thriving, functional democracy.\nI fear that our citizens are too easily swayed by politician’s pablum about “babies”, “jobs” and now, in particular, perceived “enemies”. I fear that a citizenry focused on the “here-and-now” is easily tricked by short term benefits that have negative long-term consequences. I fear that our legislators are more concerned about buffing their constituents than looking out for the long-term welfare of our country- and are way too eager to provide those short-term benefits to the “here-and-now” crowd.\nI fear that honor is generally being sacrificed/replaced by expediency. I hear politicians eloquently argue for one side of an issue and later, when it’s to their benefit, just as eloquently argue for the opposite side. OK, so they are good at arguing- but what is that they actually believe? What is it that they actually stand for? An honorable person has values that persist even when it is not convenient or expedient. An honorable person has a moral compass that stops them from doing something wrong even if it is not illegal. A foul is a foul- even if the referee doesn’t catch you.\nI fear that each of our federal governmental branches have devised or discovered shortcuts which tend to protect them from the checks and balances our founders intended.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"jimk","issue_count":4,"is_following":null,"influence_score":48240,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":1631,"following_count":88,"position_count":566,"id":"9odrQBnb","partner_id":null}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":1292435,"body":"The Senate May just as well go into recess until a new Senate is sworn in. This one is useless. ","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":45256,"created_at":"2020-06-28T17:23:43.196Z","liked":false,"like_count":3,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/comments/1292435","likers":"https://www.causes.com/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=1292435&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":45256,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/comments/1292435.png","note":{"icon":"angry","color":"#624960","stance":"angry"},"note_text":"Angry","note_color":"#624960","user_id":"aW56yyaZ","liker_ids":["Bmyny8a9","e9XBdlXZ","9odrQBnb"]}}

Like Causes?

Comment Liked by 3 Users