The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee will consider the nomination of Sally Jewell to be the Secretary of the Interior next Thursday, March 7th, at 10:30am ET. The hearing will be webcast live on the Committee’s website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing is complete. Witness testimony will be available on the website at the start of the hearing.
Category: On the Hill
McDermott Legislation Aims to Protect NIH from Sequestration
Yesterday, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced a bill to protect National Institutes of Health (NIH) from impending automatic federal budget cuts. The automatic budget cuts, or “sequester,” will cancel $85 billion in federal spending between March 1 and September 30, including roughly $2 billion from the NIH budget. McDermott’s bill would ensure that NIH’s budget is protected for the balance of this fiscal year.
McDermott’s press release goes on to say that Seattle’s economy relies on federal funding for biomedical research, and that Washington State’s third largest employer, the University of Washington, receives more federal funding than any other public university in the nation.
We applaud Mr. McDermott for his efforts to protect NIH from devastating cuts.
Sequestration: The Bottom Line
While it may seem that the White House has been more focused gun control and immigration over the past several weeks, President Obama is expected to make the economy his central theme and renew his call to avoid sequestration when he delivers his State of the Union tonight. There are just 17 days until the sequester is schedule to take effect and the President is certain to call for new tax revenue to avoid the $85 billion in spending reductions due March 1st even as Republicans reiterate their strong opposition to any new revenues.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats will soon release a proposal to replace the across-the-board cuts with new revenue and other spending reductions. This is most likely a short-term fix through the end of the calendar year, possibly setting up Congress for another New Year’s battle on spending cuts. But it appears that the Senate proposal is unlikely to get any support from Republicans, which is why so many believe that sequestration will happen on March 1st.
The bottom line: If Republicans cannot get a new deal involving entitlement cuts but without new tax revenue, they prefer accepting sequestration cuts to defense programs as the price of getting some cuts to domestic programs. If Democrats cannot get a deal involving more tax revenue but without entitlement cuts, they prefer accepting sequestration cuts to domestic programs as the price of getting some defense cuts. The cuts will reduce domestic programs by 5.1 percent and defense by 8 percent, but since they come in the middle of the fiscal year, the impact is closer to 9 percent for nondefense and 13 percent for defense programs. Many federal agencies will likely see 14-day furloughs for employees and layoffs for new hires.
Today in Congress
The Senate is in at 10:00am and will vote on a number of amendments to and final passage of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (S 47). It is expected to pass. The Senate will recess from 12:30pm to 2:15pm for weekly party caucus lunches.
The House returns at noon and will consider three bills under suspension of the rules: the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act (HR 267), the Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act (HR 316), and the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act (HR 235). The House will recess no later than 5:30pm to allow a security sweep of the chamber prior to President Obama’s State of the Union address.
At 8:20pm, the Senate will proceed to the House of Representatives for President Obama’s State of the Union address, set for 9:00pm. The House will meet again at about 8:35pm for the purpose of receiving, in a joint session with the Senate, the President of the United States.
Another Short Term Sequestration Fix?
Senate Democrats plan to announce a short-term sequester replacement bill this week aimed at combining alternative spending cuts and new tax revenue to avert $85 billion in automatic spending reductions scheduled to begin taking effect March 1st. Republicans, who adamantly oppose any use of tax revenue to replace the sequester, are not part of the broader discussions with democratic senators. It is possible that the Senate will consider the yet-to-be-released measure the week of February 25th, after next week’s Presidents Day recess.