Recapping Last Week in Congress

Both houses were all about the trade bills last week. It's something of a rare event that both bodies would be handle three major bills in common during a single week, but that tells us something about the relative importance of free trade pacts to the bipartisan leadership. They all seem to love this stuff.

Here's where the houses differed:

The House supplemented its trade bill work with the usual routine of gutting environmental regulation ("EPA Regulatory Relief Act" and the "Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act"), plus yet another of their favorite kind of bill, a severe restriction on abortion—H.R. 358, the rather delusionally-named "Protect Life Act." All in all a very typically... Republican week for the House.

The Senate, too, had a very typical week. Outside of the trade bills, the majority of the action was continuing the slow trickle of judicial and executive confirmations and... the failure of the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the American Jobs Act. Unfortunately, that has also become a very typically... Democratic week in the Senate.

This Week in Congress

The House is not in session this week. They'll hold a few pro forma sessions, but won't return for business until next week.

The Senate will be in DC and working, hopefully taking up some of those long-delayed appropriations bills. Remember, we're working under yet another temporary continuing appropriations measure, and this one only gets us through mid-November. There's still a lot of work to do to get a full slate of appropriations bills in place on both sides of the Capitol, but the Senate hasn't passed anything but the Military Construction and VA bill, so we might expect to see the majority of the week spent on this. But just to break the monotony, we'll also see yet another judicial nomination moved late this afternoon.

Full floor and committee schedules are below the fold.

Recapping yesterday's action:

The House bookended hosting a joint session addressed by the President of South Korea with the passage of the "Protect Life by Letting Women Die Act" and the "EPA Regulatory Whiner's Relief Act." That's... uh... that's it. That's unbelievable in light of what's really happening in this country, but that's actually what they did, regardless. And as the Huffington Post points out, it also means the House followed up its "Protect Life Act" with a bill the EPA says may kill 20,000 people. And if that's not enough, well, there's the matter of today's post's headline.

The Senate had considerably less to do yesterday, but at least some people got jobs as a result. Three judicial nominees were confirmed, as well as a new ambassador to South Korea. What timing, eh?

Looking ahead to today:

The House has a typically short Friday schedule (insofar as a Friday schedule is typical at all), and looks to make a quick exit after considering the "Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act." I think we can all make a good guess at what that's about. And while we're guessing, let's note that there are six amendments pending—one "manager's amendment" offered by the Republicans, and five Democratic amendments. Who would like to offer a prediction on the number that'll actually pass? I'm thinking one.

Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.

Recapping yesterday's action:

The House marched through its agenda today, wrapping up the unfinished suspension bill and then plowing through the four trade bills as planned, defeating a Democratic motion to recommit that would have added the text of the currency manipulation bill to the Colombia free trade bill along the way. Yay! Jobs! Elsewhere.

The Senate likewise blew through its agenda, passing the three free trade agreements, having already passed the Generalized System of Preferences bill (not to mention the currency manipulation bill).

The Colombia deal got the least support in both houses, for what it's worth. Preferences, as expressed in the vote totals, were reversed on South Korea and Panama as between the House and the Senate. Though I'm not sure that that means anything in particular. 

Looking ahead to today:

The House kicks things off today with the job-creating "Protect Life, Unless it's a Woman's Act"—H.R. 358, that is. Then it's a quick break to high five the President of South Korea in a joint session, and later a return to regular session to finish up the EPA Whiner's Relief Act.

The Senate plans to consider the nominations of three judges today, one likely to be confirmed by unanimous consent, and the other two by roll call votes. Then it's off to visit the House for the joint session addressed by the South Korean president.

Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.

Recapping yesterday's action:

The House worked late into the night, meandering through its schedule. They began their day by debating but then postponing a roll call vote on the first of the six scheduled suspension bills, then passing the next three by voice vote. Then, taking a detour, they returned to consideration of the "EPA Regulatory Relief Act" left over from last week, debated eight amendments to it but postponed the votes on them, then veered off and passed the rule for consideration of the trade bills. Then they turned back around and voted on the postponed amendments to the EPA bill (defeating them all), but still not passing the bill. Instead, they returned to the remaining suspension bills, passing them both by voice vote, before beginning debate on the trade bills, leaving the EPA bill hanging until later. Very strange, though not by any means out of keeping with the rules.

The Senate approached their schedule in a more straightforward manner, confirming the nomination of Jane Margaret Triche-Milazzo to the bench in the Eastern District of Louisiana by a vote of 98-0, and passing the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act, 63-35. But the Senate was still the Senate, voting down cloture on the motion to proceed to the American Jobs Act by a vote of 50-49.

Speaking of which, have you all seen this 90 Second Summary of the AJA, from Main Street Insider (which also maintains a group page at Daily Kos)?

Looking ahead to today:

Today, the House mops up much of yesterday's work, with plans to complete consideration of the four trade bills (three free trade pacts and an extension of the Generalized System of Preferences), continue work on the EPA bill, and then get back to that one postponed suspension bill.

The Senate plans a 12 hour marathon debate on all three pending free trade pact implementation acts (implementation acts are the vehicles by which treaties are enacted into U.S. law). Of course, with the House still working on the bills today, I'm not sure by what reasoning the Senate will be claiming to be in possession of the papers (remember that?) they'll supposedly be debating. Maybe there's something special about treaty implementation acts that makes it possible to do that. But this Senate Dems blog entry suggests it's just the magic of unanimous consent, but that the votes can't actually happen until the papers arrive from the House.

Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.

Recapping yesterday's action:

Ha ha! Were you at work yesterday? Congress wasn't! It was Columbus Day! But more than a few of them were probably getting their ears bent somewhere in their districts, possibly by some of you. If so, good work!

Looking ahead to today:

A very unusual-looking schedule in the House today. A typical post-weekend late start, with six suspension bills on tap (which is not at all unusual) and partial consideration of four trade and tariff bills (which is). Sandwiched in between will be the completion of work on the "EPA Regulatory Relief Act."  But it seems very unusual to hold general debate on four separate (though similar) bills, and postpone completion of all of them for another day, rather than finishing them one at a time. It's not likely to make any particular difference in the outcome, but it seems... worth mentioning, somehow. Maybe it'll become clear why they did it as events unfold.

By the way, I wonder if there will be any objection to H.R. 1025, the last of the suspensions scheduled for the day. According to the title, the bill purports to "recognize the service in the reserve components of certain persons by honoring them with status as veterans under law." That sounds like a nice thing to do, but recall that not long ago there was objection to a bill that would have awarded U.S. flags to the families of federal civilian employees who die from injuries in connection with their service. This is slightly different, of course. But you never know.

The Senate also starts work late today, passing the time in "morning business" until 5:30, and then proceeding to three votes in quick succession: a judicial confirmation, passage of the anti-currency manipulation bill, and a vote on cloture (the 32nd such motion this year), this time on the motion to proceed to the American Jobs Act. If it passes, that means up to 30 more hours of debate on whether or not to begin debate on the bill, even though they'll already have decided to begin. 

In case you haven't pieced it together yet from the dozens of times I've explained this ridiculous situation, there's really no reason in the world why there ought to be post-cloture time on motions to proceed. If you've decided to proceed, then proceed. Post-cloture time on bills can make sense, allowing additional time for amendments that might still be pending. But on motions to proceed? Or for that matter, executive or judicial nominations? What's the point of post-cloture time on those? There isn't any.

Today's floor and committee schedules appear below the fold.