Both the House and Senate are out of session today. The Senate returns to work at 2:00pm Monday and will vote on a series of amendments to the Violence Against Women Act (S 47). A vote on final passage could come as early as Monday night. The House returns to work on Tuesday.
President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. It is widely expected that he will focus on fiscal issues, including the deficit and taxes, and will call for Congress to come together to avoid the next fiscal cliff. It is also expected that he will address energy and climate issues, as well as gun control and immigration. All of these priorities will likely be reflected in his budget request, which will be released to Congress in early March.
On Tuesday morning the Senate Budget Committee, chaired by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), will hold a hearing on the budget and economic outlook prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, and then on Wednesday that same committee will hold a hearing on the impact of budget decisions on families and communities. The House Budget Committee will hold also hold a hearing on the economic outlook on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “Impacts of a Continuing Resolution and Sequestration on Defense.” Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) is the ranking member on this committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on comprehensive immigration revision Wednesday morning, this first of many hearings on this topic.
On Thursday (Valentine’s Day), the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on the itemized deduction for charitable contributions and on previous proposals to modify the deduction and its value. Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) are both members of this committee.
Also on Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing titled “Sustainable Growth Rate: Data, Measures and Models; Building a Future Medicare Physician Payment System.”