Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is seen getting on the elevator after the vote on Feb. 14. She was absent from the Senate after being diagnosed with shingles.
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Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is seen getting on the elevator after the vote on Feb. 14. She was absent from the Senate after being diagnosed with shingles.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Lawmakers returned to Washington, DC after a two-week break with a heavy legislative agenda, including dealing with the fallout from the recent leak of classified US intelligence documents and the debt limit crisis. going to happen.
Here’s a look at what’s on the Congress plate:
Next steps to investigate the leak of classified intelligence documents.
Last week, Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, arrested on suspicion of leaking classified US intelligence documents.
The Washington Post first reported that the 21-year-old works at a US military base and shares classified documents on the Discord platform.
The senators are expected to receive a confidential press conference on the leak on Wednesday, a Senate Democrat aide told NPR.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed called the leak a “major security breach that must not happen again” and said Congress would take “remedial steps”.
“More answers are still needed,” the Rhode Island Democrat said in a statement. “There are systemic issues that need to be addressed, including protocols for how intelligence is handled, security screening procedures and how officials can prevent intelligence leaks. Reports like this never happen again.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner has indicated his panel will also investigate the nature of the breach.
“In fact [Teixeira] had access, that even he could access these documents and gain knowledge that is inappropriate, needs to be corrected, and that is what we will deal with on Hill Capitol,” Ohio Republican Party told Fox News.
Two senators return to Washington after medical absence
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., concussion and broken ribs in March after falling at a hotel in DC and is recovering at home after being discharge from hospital.
Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman will also return after a long absence because clinical depression treatment. Fetterman suffered a stroke last May and was later implanted with a pacemaker and defibrillator to treat an irregular heartbeat.
Another Senate staffing issue as Feinstein requests a temporary replacement on the judicial committee
California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, has not voted since mid-February, because she continue to recover from shingles. Several of her Democratic colleagues have called for her to resign, including her California counterpart, Representative Ro Khanna, who tell NPR: “I don’t know of any other jobs in America where you can’t show up for months, you don’t tell people when you’ll show up, you’ve been absent for a year or two, and there are no consequences. .”
Feinstein asked temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee so that President Biden’s nominees are not in limbo in her absence.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to assess whether another Democrat can temporarily replace her on the committee.
But that is a request complicated by politics. Democrats have a tight 51-49 majority in the room and it would take 60 votes to essentially swap Feinstein for another Democrat.
Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton said Republican comrades Shouldn’t make it easier for Democrats to promote their candidates.
Debt due soon
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US loan limit reached in January, but informed Congress that the department would use “special measures” to continue paying the nation’s bills until those bills were exhausted. That is likely to happen early in the summer, which means the clock is ticking.
Negotiations between the White House and House Republicans has stalled for many months. President Biden continues to campaign for Congress to pass a clean bill and wants to see the GOP’s budget before continuing to negotiate with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy, R-Calif., warned in a speech at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday: “Not exaggerating American debt is a ticking time bomb that will go off unless we take action. act seriously and responsibly”.
Like Deirdre Walsh of NPR report, the GOP measure would cap federal spending from two years ago, add a provision to apply work requirements to adults with no dependents receiving food benefits and includes reforms to the way new energy projects are allowed. This is highly unlikely in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
House GOP holds a hearing at the Big Apple about crime
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan also hosted an event in New York on Monday: a field hearing on crime in Manhattan.
The hearing is a double chance for Republicans: take down Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who recently brought criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, and tries to portray Democrats as soft on crime.
During the hearing, Democrats often pointed to data from the NYPD showing reduce violent crime in New York City every month this year.
Jordan previously sent Bragg letter requested documents and testimony related to his investigation of Trump.
Bragg’s office is investigating the former president for a $130,000 payment for adult film actor Stormy Daniels, made just before the 2016 election. Trump denied having an affair with Daniels.
House Republicans push messaging bills
The Rules Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the legislation in effect bans school athletic programs from allowing transgender women to participate in all-girls school sports programs.
like The Parental Rights Bill that GOP legislators passed in MarchThis bill won’t even make it to the Senate, but rather serves as another messaging bill for the GOP establishment ahead of the 2024 election.
NPR Congressional reporters Claudia Grisales and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report
