The House Education and Labor Committee approved this morning its portion of the larger COVID relief package by a vote of 27 to 21, making it the first committee of many to move on the budget reconciliation process. Among other provisions, the bill (a section-by-section summary is available here) includes $39.6 billion for higher education. A number of other House committees are scheduled to markup their bills today: Ways and Means, Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Agriculture (the text of the bill it is marking up is available here).
Category: On the Hill
Split Screen: COVID Package in House, Trump Trial in Senate
As noted yesterday, House committees that received instructions to craft specific parts of the larger COVID relief package will begin to act today, with the Education and Labor Committee marking up its bill at 3 PM today (the session will be webcast here). The Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I), Financial Services, and Agriculture Committees are scheduled to follow suit by marking up their bills on Wednesday. Copies of the T & I and Financial Services bills were released late yesterday.
The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to take up its piece of the COVID package next week during a markup that is expected to take multiple days. The entirety of the Ways and Means package and summaries of each section are available here. Provisions of interest in the bill include, for example:
- $1,400 credit for both children and non-child dependents;
- Tax credits for state and local governments to provide paid family and medical leave created by Families First Corona Response Act, which would become effective March 31, 2021; and,
- Extension of the employee retention tax credit.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol complex, the full Senate today is scheduled to start the trial to convict former president Donald Trump. Once the trial officially starts, both sides can use up to 16 hours to make their case.
After Approval of Process, COVID Package Getting Put Together
With both chambers of Congress having approved last week the processes by which the Biden Administration COVID relief package will move, House committees with jurisdiction over different pieces of the legislation will begin to craft their portions starting Tuesday.
The House Education and Labor Committee is scheduled to move first tomorrow with its bill. The committee staff has produced a summary of the legislation.
The Democrats’ proposal would provide $39.6 billion for higher education; 91 percent of the funds would be allocated to institutions based on the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund formula. Institutions would have to spend at least 50 percent of the funds it receives on student grants but they would have the flexibility on determining which students receive aid.
In addition, the legislation would provide $100 million for Institute for Education Science to conduct research on learning loss as well as $135 million each to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Following the Education and Labor Committee’s markup tomorrow, a slew of other House committees are scheduled to follow suit throughout the rest of this week and next week.
Please continue to check back for additional updates on the relief package.
Democrats Assume Control in Senate
With Vice President Kamala Harris performing one of her new duties in her new role by swearing in three new Senators, Democrats now control the Senate. A few minutes ago, she swore in Alex Padilla of California, who was appointed to fill her seat, and Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia. The Senate make-up is now at 50-50, with VP Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote; this means that Democrats are now in charge of the chamber.
With the shift in control, Sen. Maria Cantwell now becomes Chairwoman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee while Sen. Patty Murray will take over as Chairwoman of Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Confirmation Hearings Start Today
With the swearing-in of the new Biden Administration scheduled for tomorrow, the first set of confirmation hearings for several key posts within the Administration are set to start today. These include:
- Lloyd Austin– Secretary of Defense
- Alejandro Mayorkas– Secretary of Homeland Security
- Antony Blinken– Secretary of State
- Avril Haines– Director of National Intelligence
- Janet Yellen– Secretary of Treasury
Read more about the nominees and the confirmation process here, here, and here.