The Senate convened at 10:00 A.M. and resumed consideration of the nomination of Shalanda D. Young to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget, post-cloture. The Senate is also considering the nomination of Susan Tsui Grundmann to be a Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority for a term of five years. Senators are also slated to vote on S. J. Res. 37, a resolution from Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) to end the mask-mandate on modes of public transportation. The measure would use the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to try to halt rules from the administration through expedited procedures. A vote under the CRA only requires a simple majority to pass but would face almost certain defeat in the House or be vetoed by President Joe Biden if it gets through the Senate.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is continuing her courtesy meetings today with senators ahead of her confirmation hearings beginning next week and is expected to meet Tuesday with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) as the Supreme Court nominee continues her introductory meetings on Capitol Hill. Graham was one of three Republicans to confirm Jackson’s recent appointment to an appeals court position.
As a path forward on additional Covid relief funding remains unclear in the House this week, Biden administration officials warned that the U.S. will soon run out of funding for future Covid booster shots, new treatments and testing efforts if the spending legislation remains stuck in Congress. The White House outlined for congressional leaders the Covid response programs the administration will begin to wind down because lawmakers have failed to refill the government’s pandemic response budget and administration officials will send a letter to lawmakers outlining the steps they will begin taking to stop certain Covid efforts. The administration has already warned that programs to pay for care for the uninsured and purchases of key therapeutics could be interrupted in coming weeks if more money isn’t appropriated. The $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill that included emergency aid for Ukraine passed only after Democratic leaders stripped out a contentious Covid-19 aid provision that would have clawed back states’ unused coronavirus money to fund the proposal. House Democrats introduced a stand-alone Covid bill late Wednesday, proposing $15.6 billion in spending, partially offset by $8.6 billion in unused coronavirus funds but without any clawbacks from state and local governments.
The House will reconvene at 2:00 P.M. and will consider ten bills under suspension of the Rules from the Natural Resources Committee.
