Good morning, GovTrackers!

Much of today’s news is focused on the decision of Joe Biden not to seek re-election to the office of the president and his endorsement of Vice President Harris for the job, but there’s also a lot happening in Congress. The House of Representatives and Senate are in session for the next two weeks. After that, they are off for the August recess, returning on September 9. During that gap, members of Congress who wish to be re-elected will focus on their campaigns and Democrats will hold their national convention. 

This Wednesday, the chambers will hold a rare joint session of Congress to hear an address from Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at approximately 2pm. 

The House of Representatives this week has three measures set for consideration on the House floor that are subject to a rule, which means the Rules Committee will limit debate and the legislation can pass with a simple majority of members present. Two bills concern appropriations, specifically Interior and Energy & Water. The third measure would establish a task force on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

There are twenty bills set for floor consideration under suspension of the rules, which means they can be enacted only with 2/3s support of the members present. Six relate to naming facilities after people. Many bills have comparatively little impact, such as one requiring the federal government to only purchase American flags made in America (with some exceptions). The Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act would require that privately developed technical standards (like fire safety or building codes) incorporated into law should be available to the public. The Congressional Research Service explains the background issues.

House Committees are holding forty meetings, including a Rules Committee meeting on Monday to consider rules that would limit debate and amendments on four appropriations bills, two set for consideration this week and two anticipated to be considered on the House floor next week. If you follow the links on the Rules Committee page, you can see the amendments the committee will be considering.

The Natural Resources Committee has five hearings scheduled as does the Oversight Committee; four are scheduled before Energy & Commerce. Of the forty meetings, two committee hearings will focus on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The House Administration Committee will look at Congress in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent Chevron ruling, and the Oversight Committee will look at the Department of Justice. 

The Senate floor calendar continues to be mysterious, with their preview for Tuesday focusing only on approving various nominations. 

Senate Committees have nine meetings set for this week. Appropriators will mark-up legislation for Thursday, with four appropriations bills scheduled for consideration. This is a big deal, as Senate appropriators have been favorably reporting their bills unanimously, which gives them significant leverage when negotiating with the House.

On Wednesday, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee gave notice it is marking up a wide array of legislation including legislation concerning members trading stocks, S. 1171, Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act. Also important is their consideration of S. 4373, Reforming Emergency Powers to Uphold the Balances and Limitations Inherent in the Constitution (REPUBLIC) Act.