Author: Thornrun

House lawmakers will convene today as Democrats prepare to rebuke the Trump administration’s recently announced Medicaid block grant proposal. The lower chamber will consider a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would overturn recent guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow states to accept capped Medicaid funding in exchange for more flexibility in spending the money. The resolution is not likely to be taken up by the Senate; however, Democratic Senators could introduce a similar effort as a means of messaging against the block grant guidance.

Senators are set to reach a final verdict on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Following two days of closing arguments and Senate speeches, the upper chamber will vote on acquittal of the president later this afternoon. President Trump is expected to be cleared on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on a party-line vote.

As the Senate prepares to close out its impeachment trial, President Donald Trump is set to deliver his third State of the Union (SOTU) address tonight. The president’s annual speech to Congress will reportedly focus on key economic wins — ranging from the 2017 tax rewrite to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) — with a theme of “The Great American Comeback” that seeks to kick off his 2020 reelection messaging. White House aides also expect the president to emphasize lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, boosting support for working families, and achieving comprehensive immigration reform.

The impeachment trial of President Trump is nearing an endgame after the Senate chose not to pursue additional evidence and witness testimony last week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) outlined the next steps in the upper chamber’s impeachment process on Friday. Leader McConnell’s resolution provides for two days of closing arguments and Senate speeches today and tomorrow, followed by votes to acquit the President on the two articles of impeachment on Wednesday.

Senators have reached a pivotal moment in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial as they enter the final day of the question and answer portion. The Senate will have another eight hours to submit questions to the House managers and White House defense team, which must be submitted in writing for Chief Justice John Roberts to read. The Senate court of impeachment will then vote to determine whether to pursue additional evidence or witness testimony — a key factor as to whether the trial will end tomorrow or extend into next week.

House lawmakers are set to take up a package (text; amendments) of Democratic credit-related legislation out of the Financial Services Committee. The measure includes a host of bills that cleared the Committee on a party-line basis last summer, including bills that would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to: (1) ban the use of credit information for most employment decisions (H.R. 3614); (2) establish requirements relating to credit scores and educational credit scores (H.R. 3618); and (3) reform the consumer report dispute process and ban certain “misleading and unfair” consumer reporting practices (H.R. 3642). The Trump administration issued a veto threat on the legislation earlier this week, arguing that the Democrats’ bill would increase costs and reduce the efficiency of consumer lending markets.

The Senate, sitting as a court of impeachment, will convene this afternoon as President Donald Trump’s legal team prepares to rest its case. Following the conclusion of the White House defense team’s opening remarks, Senators will have up to 16 hours of questioning before determining next steps. If the upper chamber does not pursue additional witness testimony or evidence beyond the scope of the House’s work, the impeachment trial could wrap up as soon as this week.

House lawmakers will return to Washington today following their Martin Luther King Jr. Day district work period. On the floor, the lower chamber is set to consider four bills under suspension of the rules. This includes a bill out of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee that would direct the National Science Foundation to fund research grants across a range of disciplines with the goal of advancing suicide prevention, as well as legislation that seeks to promote veteran involvement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.