This Week in Congress

The Senate will be considering the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Rand Paul is trying to offer a series of amendments to the bill. His amendments include the repeal of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and the prohibition of indefinite detention.

As of this writing, it is unclear if Senator Paul will get votes on his amendments.

The House is in session Monday through Thursday. The House will complete work on H.R. 3055, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2020.

The House will also consider H.R. 3351. This bill provides funding for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Executive Branch agencies, and “independent agencies” such as the Small Business Administration.

The bill spends $24.55 billion, an increase of $1.4 billion over FY 2019 and $355.5 million more than the president’s request.

The House will also consider H.R. 3401, which allocates $4.5 billion in emergency spending for humanitarian assistance and refugee services for those crossing the border. The bill does not provide funds for President Trump’s proposed border wall and adds to the federal deficit.

The House will consider H.R. 2722, which provides federal grants to state and local governments to protect against interference in elections. This provision was included in H.R. 1, the large campaign finance “reform” legislation the House passed earlier this year.

The House will convert a number of pieces of H.R. 1 as stand-alone provisions in the next several months. This may include some bills threatening the First Amendment rights of Campaign for Liberty supporters, such as the Disclose Act.

The House may also consider the legislative branch appropriations bill, which was removed from the first “omnibus” appropriations bill over concerns about the cost of living increases for representatives contained in the bill.

The House will also consider the following two bills under suspension:

1. H.R. 2109— Creates contracts with the Veterans Administration for firms that have a certain percentage of veterans among their long-term employees.

2. H.R. 2196— Reduces the credit hours necessary to receive the Veterans Administration’s STEM scholarship.