Today on the Hill: Budget Hearings; North Korea Sanctions; Flint’s Water; NSF Grants

February 10, 2016

Several key Obama Administration officials will head to Capitol Hill today to defend the President’s $4.1 trillion budget request. The President’s budget projects revenue to increase by $308 billion next year and spending to rise by $196 billion. Congressional Republicans have already rejected a number of the Obama’s proposals, including a $10.25 per barrel fee on oil that would be used to generate $319 billion over 10 years to pay for infrastructure. TRP will be tuning in as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee, and when Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen testifies before the House Financial Services Committee.

On the floor today, the Senate is scheduled to vote on legislation (H.R.757) that would authorize the president to apply sanctions to individuals, foreign governments and financial institutions that engage in prohibited transactions with North Korea. The country’s recent fourth nuclear test prompted the measure, and last weekend’s launch of a long-range rocket has injected urgency to the debate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also yesterday filed cloture on the conference report on customs legislation (H.R. 644), with the procedural vote set for tomorrow. A roadblock was removed from advancing the measure when Democrats secured a handshake agreement to allow separate consideration of legislation to force on-line shoppers to pay state sales tax on those Internet purchases.

McConnell said that advocates of broad energy legislation aren’t giving up on trying to advance the measure, which has been held up over Democrats’ demand for assistance to help the city of Flint, Michigan, deal with its lead-contaminated water supply. One option – bringing up a stand-alone bill to deal with the crisis – has encountered a setback, and Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) noted yesterday that she’s become “increasingly frustrated” by the status of talks.

Meanwhile, the House is scheduled to consider its own standalone Flint response bill (H.R. 4470), tasking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with greater public notification responsibility in cases of lead-contaminated drinking water. The bill would expand current notification requirements by directing the EPA to provide public notice of contamination if state and local officials haven’t done so within 24 hours of receiving information about harmful lead levels. The measure also would require notification by local water authorities, state officials or the EPA in the event that contamination results from lead pipes or other infrastructure leaching into the water supply.

The House also plans a floor vote on legislation (H.R. 3293) to require the National Science Foundation to publish written justification that a science grant or cooperative agreement is worthy of federal funding and in the national interest when announcing an award. A grant or agreement could be approved only if NSF determines the project has the potential to: increase U.S. economic competitiveness, advance public health and welfare, increase scientific literacy, improve partnerships between academia and industry in the U.S., support national defense or promote the progress of science. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation.

‘Today on the Hill’ includes updates provided by the House and Senate majority leaders, as well information derived from publications including Bloomberg Government, The Hill, Politico, Roll Call, and National Journal.