Congressional Schedule - Tuesday July 29, 2014

by nathanhurst

With its longest recess of the year looming, Congress has a busy Tuesday ahead.

C-SPAN spoke on Monday with Politico Congressional Reporter Lauren French about the week ahead in Congress, its last before lawmakers take an extended leave for the August recess.

After voting on three bills under suspension of the rules late Monday night, the House is expected in at 10 a.m. Tuesday for morning hour, and will then resume legislative business at noon. Lawmakers are expected to vote on more bills under suspension of the rules. They will also debate H.R. 4315, which includes four underlying bills that would change reporting requirements under the Endangered Species Act.

Over in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) laid out the chamber's agenda for the week on Monday. Later Monday, Reid said the chamber would reconvene at 10 a.m. Tuesday, breaking at 12:30 for the weekly caucus lunches. A roll call confirmation vote for Robert McDonald, the nominee to be Veterans Affairs Secretary, is slated for 2:45 p.m., followed by confirmation votes on ambassadorships to Mauritania, Cameroon, and Algeria.

Most pressing on the chamber's calendar, though, is H.R. 5021, a short-term fix for the Highway Trust Fund. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) on Monday lamented the legislation's effective brevity as he continued working toward securing a deal for a vote.

Senator Reid said there are five scheduled votes on the highway legislation expected Tuesday evening: four for amendments and then one on the bill itself.

Both chambers are also expected this week to tackle pending Department of Veterans Affairs overhaul legislation, announced Monday by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Jeff Miller (R-FL), the chairmen of the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs panels.

Late Monday, The White House also released its statement of support for a $3.5 billion emergency spending bill that would provide funding for agencies dealing with a flood of unaccompanied minor immigrants across the southern border. Senate Appropriations Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) introduced the legislation on the Senate floor last week.