Author: Thornrun

House lawmakers have reconvened for legislative business and are continuing work on Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) bill to reauthorize and reform the Export-Import bank. After approving five amendments to the underlying measure, the House is expected to pass the 10-year reauthorization bill on party-lines later this morning. However, Chairwoman Waters’ bill is not expected to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate after the White House issued a veto threat, saying the legislation was not the right "bipartisan, bicameral approach" to deliver a long-term reauthorization.

Continue reading “Today, Next Week on the Hill: House Wraps Up Ex-Im Reauthorization Bill”

House lawmakers are set to begin consideration of a measure out of the Financial Services Committee that would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. The bill — which was approved (30-27) by the Committee on a near party-line vote — would: (1) reauthorize the bank for 10 years; (2) increase the agency’s lending authority to $175 billion; (3) rename it the United States Export Finance Agency; and (4) make a number of tweaks to the bank’s operations. Final passage of the bill is expected tomorrow after lawmakers consider 21 amendments to the underlying legislation today.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: House Begins Consideration of Ex-Im Reauthorization Measure”

House and Senate Appropriations leaders made progress toward averting a government shutdown and funding the government for fiscal year (FY) 2020 during a meeting late yesterday. In a press gaggle following the meeting, House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) announced that the forthcoming continuing resolution (CR) will fund the government through Dec. 20 to provide for additional time to hammer out a broader deal for FY 2020 bills. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are expected to take up the stopgap funding measure early next week prior to next Thursday’s deadline.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Progress Made Toward Averting November Shutdown”

Both chambers of Congress will reconvene for legislative business this afternoon while government funding talks off the floor continue. With less than two weeks left to avert a funding lapse, House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) are expected to meet today to continue negotiations on another continuing resolution (CR), as well as broader spending allocations for each one of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 spending bills. While “poison pill” issues —namely border security — have largely stymied FY 2020 funding talks, lawmakers have coalesced around another stopgap measure that would fund the government through Dec. 13 or Dec. 20 in hopes of providing appropriators with more time to hammer out a deal.

Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: Government Funding Talks Enter Crucial Stretch”

The Senate will reconvene today to continue work on presidential nominations as negotiators deliberate next steps in the Congressional appropriations process. While Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) work to clinch a spending agreement that would avert a funding lapse, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) indicated yesterday that confirming nominees will be the focus of the upper chamber’s work so long as appropriations talks are deadlocked. On the floor for today, the upper chamber will vote on the nomination of Danielle Hunsaker to be a Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit. A full list of nominations filed for this week can be found here.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Senate to Focus on Judicial Nominations”