The House is in a committee work week again this week, and will reconvene next Tuesday, May 11th at 6:30 p.m. for votes, although it will hold a very brief pro forma session at 10:00 a.m. today. At 10 a.m. Attorney General Merrick Garland began testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee on the Department of Justice budget request.
The Senate is in recess this week and will reconvene next Monday, May 10th at 3:00 p.m.
This afternoon, President Biden plans to deliver remarks on his administration’s coronavirus response and its vaccination program at a time when the pace of vaccinations has slowed nationwide, even though every American adult is now eligible for the shots. Biden’s planned speech from the State Dining Room of the White House comes during a week when he has otherwise been heavily focused on pushing major spending plans pending in Congress. During an appearance Monday, he defended his proposals to increase taxes on corporations and the wealthy to pay for his plans.
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to travel to Wisconsin today to promote Biden’s $2 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan with a focus on proposed spending on research and development. Harris is scheduled to visit clean-energy laboratories at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee before hosting a roundtable discussion on the plan and its impact on local communities, according to an advisory from her office. The White House is seeking to bolster support in Congress for Biden’s package — and another of similar size focused on expanding access to health care and safety-net programs for families — with a series of visits around the country. Before departing Washington on Tuesday, Harris is scheduled to deliver virtual remarks to the 51st annual Conference on the Americas, with an expected focus on her charge from Biden to address the root causes of migration that are contributing to a surge in U.S.-Mexico border crossings. President Biden on Monday reversed himself and said he would allow as many as 62,500 refugees to enter the United States during the next six months, eliminating the sharp limits that President Donald J. Trump imposed on those seeking refuge from war, violence or natural disasters. The action comes about two weeks after Mr. Biden announced that he was leaving Mr. Trump’s limit of 15,000 refugees in place, which drew widespread condemnation from Democrats and refugee advocates who accused the president of reneging on a campaign promise to welcome those in need.
