The House met at 9 a.m. and is going to wrap up the week with consideration of S.J.Res. 14 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources Review.” This recent Senate resolution targets the last Administration’s rulemaking declining to regulate methane emissions from production and processing operations at oil and gas facilities. The soon-to-be repealed rule also declined to regulate associated transmission and storage operations. On Monday, the House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for Morning Hour debate and 2:00 p.m. for legislative business, with votes expected no earlier than 6:30 p.m.
The Senate is out starting today for the July 4th recess and will next convene at 3:00pm on Monday, July 12, 2021. The Senate will hold pro forma sessions on: Monday, June 28th at 9:00 a.m.; Thursday, July 1st at 11:00 a.m.; Monday, July 5th at 2:30 p.m.; and Thursday, July 8th at 12:00 Noon.
Today, President Joe Biden will sign H.R. 49, To designate the National Pulse Memorial, into law to commemorate Pride Month at the White House. The legislation honors those who died five years ago in the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting and will also give remarks reflecting on the pro-LGBTQ actions taken so far by his administration. Biden plans to call on the Senate to approve the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. It narrowly cleared the House in February on a largely party-line vote. The White House also announced Friday that Biden has appointed a special envoy at the State Department to advance the rights of LGBTQ people around the world. Jessica Stern, executive director of the global advocacy group OutRight Action International, will serve as U.S. special envoy to advance the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons.
The President will also welcome His Excellency Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, to the White House. The visit comes amid reports of a new U.S. intelligence assessment that says the Afghan government could fall within six months of the departure of remaining U.S. troops. The Pentagon’s top spokesman, John Kirby, said Thursday that the withdrawal continues “on pace,” with the expectation that it will be complete by September.
