Impeaching Supreme Court Justices Alito and Thomas: US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) filed articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito for what she said was their failure to report gifts and refusal to recuse from cases in which they were conflicted. Progressives and others have criticized both justices over reports they accepted vacations from wealthy people and failed to recuse from cases despite conflicts created by their spouses. Samuel Chase was the lone justice to be impeached by the House, in 1804. He was acquitted by the Senate.

Garland Contempt Resolution: The House failed to pass H.Res.1344 (204-2012), a resolution that would have found that Attorney General Merrick Garland is in contempt of the House of Representatives for failing to produce materials subpoenaed by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. The resolution would direct the speaker to impose a fine of $10,000 per day on Merrick Garland until he provides subpoenaed audio tapes to the House.

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility: The House passed H.R.8281 (221-198), which would require Voters to provide proof of US citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and states would have to remove noncitizens from their voter rolls. The bill would create a process for states to verify eligibility using government databases for individuals who don’t have documentary proof of citizenship. Applicants using mail-in forms couldn’t be registered to vote unless they also present their documents in person at an election official’s office, or at polling places in states that allow same-day voter registration. Election officials who violate the bill’s requirements could be subject to civil lawsuits and criminal penalties.

Reproductive Freedom for Women: The Senate failed to move forward to debate on S.4554 (49-44), which would declare that access to abortion and other reproductive health care should be supported following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision in which the court held there was a constitutional right to an abortion. The measure would also express the sense of Congress that protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade should be “restored and built upon, moving towards a future where there is reproductive freedom for all.” The bill needed 60 votes to move forward.

Reversing Transgender Non-Discrimination Rule: The House passed H.J.Res.165 (210-205), which would overturn a Biden administration rule bolstering federal nondiscrimination protections for transgender students. The Education Department in April unveiled a final set of sweeping changes to the decades-old law, including an expanded definition of sex discrimination that covers discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The proposal issued by the Education Department last year would prohibit schools from enacting policies that categorically ban transgender student-athletes from sports teams that match their gender identity, though schools would still be permitted to limit participation based on a particular set of criteria. The bill now heads to the Senate where passage is uncertain.

Legislative Branch Appropriations: The House failed to pass H.R.8227 (205-213), which would have allocated allocate $1.93 billion for House salaries and expenses. It also would increase Capitol Police funding by 5 percent, to more than $832 million. Strong opposition came from Democrats and several Republicans due to a provision to extend a 15-year pay freeze for members of Congress, which some lawmakers argue is unconstitutional. The 27th Amendment to the US Constitution bars Congress from voting to change its own members’ salary without waiting until an intervening election. Lawmakers have argued the provision to block an automatic raise violates that amendment. Senators also included the same provision in their Legislative Branch funding bill and advanced the measure out of the Appropriations Committee with unanimous support.

Terminate Use of Pier in Gaza: The Senate blocked a motion to discharge H.J.Res.89 (48-46), which would direct the president, within 30 days of the joint resolution’s passage, to terminate the use of the U.S. military for the construction, maintenance and operation of the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore pier on the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Disapprove SEC Crypto Rule: The House failed to pass, over President Biden's veto, H.J.Res.109 (228-184), which is a joint resolution that would disapprove of the Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 concerning crypto assets. The joint resolution would nullify the April 2022 SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121, regarding the treatment of crypto assets held by a bank, credit union, exchange platform or other entity that serves as a custodian for a customer's assets.

Stricter Energy Standards: The House passed two pieces of legislation that would block stricter energy efficiency standards. H.R.7637, Refrigerator Freedom Act, and H.R.7700, Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards, would prevent would prevent standards from being implemented unless they result in a "significant conservation of energy," and the department determines they will not increase consumer costs.

Congress will be on Recess the week of July 15th through the 19th. Be looking for your next R&P on July 29th. 

Homeland Security Appropriations: The House (212-203) H.R. 8752, Homeland Security Appropriations Act for FY 2025. The bill provides $94.4 billion in discretionary spending for the Homeland Security Department and its operational components, including $64.8 billion subject to the measure's discretionary cap, $22.7 billion for major disaster relief under a disaster cap adjustment, $6.1 billion that will be offset by various fee collections, and $754 million offset by rescissions of prior year funding. Appropriations subject to the discretionary cap is $800 million (1%) more than FY 2024. The GOP measure increases funding for border infrastructure (including border barriers) and for immigration enforcement; Democrats oppose the measure.

State-Foreign Operations Appropriations: The House passed (212-200) H.R.8771, State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Act for FY 2025. The bill provides total a total of $53.6 billion for State Department operations and activities, foreign aid and export assistance, including $51.7 billion subject to the measure's discretionary cap (11% less than comparable FY 2024 funding). The GOP measure provides a slight increase for security assistance programs but eliminates funding for the United Nations' regular budget as well as more than a dozen U.N. programs and related offices, including the World Health Organization and UNESCO. It also makes major reductions in humanitarian funding.

Defense Appropriations: The House passed (217-198) H.R.8774, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY 2025. The bill provides a total of $833.1 billion in net discretionary defense spending, consistent with the defense caps set by last year's debt limit agreement, $8.6 billion (1%) more than comparable FY 2024 funding. The GOP measure increases funding for Pentagon operation and maintenance (2% more), military personnel (4% more), and the defense health program (3% more), while reducing funding for weapons and other procurement (by 4%) and military research and development (by 2%). It supports a 4.5% pay raise for all military personnel, along with an additional 15% increase for junior enlisted servicemembers to help improve recruitment and retention.

Amendments: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas would lose his annual salary under a House amendment.

The House also adopted amendments to:

• Block DHS from removing any border barriers erected by states

• Bar the department from offering deportation protections for qualified Palestinians

• Cut off funding for electric vehicles, among other divisive measures

• Block funding for executive order directing federal agencies to promote access to voting and voting rights

• Prohibit Rules with a $100 million economic impact

Recess: Congress will be on Recess the week of July 1st through the 7th. Be looking for your next R&P on July 15th

United States Attorney General Merrick Garland: The House passed H.Res.1292 (216-207), which holds Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas for audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interviews with a Justice Department special counsel under an as-yet unnumbered House resolution recommended by the Judiciary Committee. The resolution also directs the speaker of the House to forward the case to the US attorney for the District of Columbia for possible criminal prosecution.

The Judiciary and Oversight panels issued reports recommending that the House cite Garland for contempt for not turning over the subpoenaed audio recordings of President Biden’s interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur. AG Garland appointed Hur as special counsel in January 2023 to conduct an investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified records and other material.

NDAA: The House passed H.R.8070 (217-199), which would authorize $895.2 billion for Defense and national security programs at the Pentagon, Energy Department, and other agencies. Personnel-related provisions would increase pay for junior enlisted service members by up to 19.5% for the fiscal year and 4.5% for all military personnel. The measure would expand eligibility for the basic housing allowance, require automatic registration in the Selective Service, and bar the military departments from requiring cannabis testing as a condition to enlist or become a commissioned officer. The House measure also includes controversial provisions scrapping race-based admissions at US military academies and barring DOD’s proposed climate change mitigation rule.

Several controversial amendments were adopted to include provisions to permanently freeze hiring for diversity, equity and inclusion jobs at the Pentagon, bar military-associated schools from purchasing or displaying material that "promotes radical gender ideology or pornographic content," and prohibit the promotion of critical race theory. Other amendments involving abortion policy, mask mandates, gender-transition surgery, drag shows and drag queen story hours were also adopted.

Tibet-China Dispute: The House passed S.138, which directs the State Department’s top diplomat for Tibetan issues to take steps to counter Chinese disinformation about Tibet using previously authorized funds under S. 138. The measure would make it US policy to pursue a peaceful resolution, in accordance with international law, between Tibet and China. It will also allow the U.S. to push for negotiations between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives over the future of Tibet.

Lawmakers noted that no formal dialogue between Tibetan and Chinese authorities has happened since 2010. The Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent on May 23rd and will now go to the President who is expected to sign it.

No Hidden FEES: The House passed H.R.6543, which requires hotels and other short-term lodging providers  to display all fees upfront to customers. The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general would enforce violations of the bill, which aims to crack down on hidden fees. The legislation establishes a comprehensive single standard for transparent and mandatory fee displays across the lodging industry – from short-term rental platforms, to online travel agencies, metasearch sites, and hotels.

Congress will be on Recess the week of June 17th through the 24th. Be looking for your next R&P on July 1st

Farm Bill: Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry have released their framework for a new five-year farm bill that will set the policy and funding levels for key food, agriculture, and conservation programs. Priorities include an increase in reference prices for all covered commodities; increased spending for conservation programs by pulling funds from climate legislation passed in 2022; “cost-neutral” updates to the formula that calculates benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP; increased crop insurance levels; and reporting requirements for foreign purchase and ownership of farmland.

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: The House passed H.R.8580, which would provide the Veterans Affairs Department, military construction projects, and related agencies $147.5 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2025. Total funding for fiscal 2025, including mandatory amounts for veteran’s benefits, would be $378.6 billion. The measure includes policy provisions that would bar funds to provide abortions, services for individuals living in the US illegally, and gender-affirming care. It also would block diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and prohibit LGBTQ+ Pride flags from being flown at VA facilities. The bill would continue language barring the VA from sending a veteran’s name to the firearm background check system without a court order.

Right to Access Contraception: The Senate voted to not move forward on S.4381 (51-39), which fell short of the 60 votes needed. The bill aims to codify the right to access contraception. The bill would guarantee the legal right for individuals to get and use contraception and for health care providers to provide contraception, information, referrals, and services related to contraception. It would apply to hormonal birth control pills, the “morning after” pill, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and other methods. It would also prohibit the federal government and any state from administering or enforcing any law, rule or regulation to prohibit or restrict the sale, or use of contraception. 

Sanction International Criminal Court: The House passed H.R.8282 (247-155), which requires the president to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) officials and others involved with bringing ICC indictments against certain "protected" persons, including Israeli and U.S. officials. Under the measure, sanctions could include the denial or revocation of visas to enter the United States, asset freezes on property in the United States, and restrictions on transactions in financial, securities and currency markets. Protected persons include U.S. persons (explicitly including current and former members of the U.S. military and elected and appointed U.S. officials), as well as citizens of U.S. allies who are not party to the ICC (such as Israeli officials). 

The bill is a response to the ICC in late May filing arrest warrants for leaders of Hamas and Israel, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for war crimes. The United States, Israel and some other nations have condemned the ICC's action as being unfair and biased against Israel. The Biden administration has criticized the ICC's actions, but has expressed opposition to imposing sanctions against ICC officials.

Contributions of the Jewish American Community: The House passed H.Res.1215, which calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and counter antisemitism. The resolution also (1) urges that all possible steps be taken to ensure the safety and security of Jewish American communities, and (2) calls on the Executive Branch and civic leaders to identify and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish American community.

NDAA: The fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R.8070) would authorize $895 billion in spending in accordance with statutory budget caps set by lawmakers last year. With expected floor debate on the policy bill, lawmakers filed amendments that would shore up support for Israel as the country continues its war against Hamas. One would bar the use of authorized funds to build, maintain or repair the pier being used to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The project has come under fire from Republicans who say it could expose U.S. servicemembers to Hamas attacks.

The House Armed Services Committee spent a large chunk of its markup debating the Pentagon's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and that could continue on the floor. Provisions related to health care for transgender individuals have been filed too, including a proposal that would prohibit TRICARE from covering gender-affirming care. And several amendments were also filed that are related to reproductive health care access for troops.

Homeland Security Funding: House appropriators have begun marking up the FY 2025 Homeland Security bill, which would provide $93.8 billion in total discretionary appropriations, with a heavy emphasis on border security and Republicans' preferred immigration policies. It includes $600 million for border wall construction, according to the Republican summary. The bill also would mandate that the secretary of Homeland Security begin obligating border wall funds within 120 days and prohibit removal of existing border barriers.

State-Foreign Operations: House appropriators have also begun drafting the State-Foreign Operations FY 2025 funding bill. The bill would provide $14.6 billion for the Department of State and several related agencies and commissions, as well as $1.6 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Republicans would eliminate funding for the United Nations' regular budget, amounting to $761.6 million in savings. They would continue the prohibition on money for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The GOP summary said the draft bill would prohibit funding to the International Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, and the U.N. Commission of Inquiry against Israel. It would provide $3.3 billion in foreign military financing to Israel.