The Senate will reconvene at 3:00 P.M. and will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to, H.R.4521, America COMPETES Act- the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022 which is intended to boost U.S. competitiveness with China, specifically in semiconductor manufacturing and research. The bill, made up of several previous proposals and hundreds of new amendments, authorizes billions of dollars to boost domestic research and development of semiconductors, as well as critical supply chains and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and training. House lawmakers passed the bill along party lines, and it now heads to the Senate to be reconciled with that chamber’s bipartisan version, which was approved in June 2021. But reaching an agreement on the two versions is expected to be difficult because Republicans have since turned against the measure, largely due to its inclusion of dozens of other provisions related to climate change, immigration, labor organizing and trade. Absent an agreement to speed things up, the Senate will take a procedural vote on Monday at 5:30 p.m. on the House-passed legislation, as a step toward convening a conference committee between the House and Senate to work out a final agreement.
The Senate Judiciary Committee kicked off a historic set of hearings at 11:00 A.M. on President Joe Biden’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would be the first Black woman to serve there. The proceedings will introduce Judge Jackson, who currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to much of the country, and give senators a high-profile opportunity to question her on matters of law and policy. Today, 22 members of the Judiciary Committee will make statements for 10 minutes apiece. Then Judge Jackson will make her opening statement. After opening statements on Monday, Jackson will appear before the committee on Tuesday and Wednesday for two rounds of questions. Thursday, the final day of the hearing, will be testimony from outside experts.
Republicans are expected to have questions about the Judge’s eight months work on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the two majority opinions she issued. Republicans will likely push the Judge on whether she would support adding seats to the Supreme Court, as some progressive activists want. Republicans will also press her on her representation of terror detainees at the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and her work as a public defender in general. Senator Josh Hawley, (R-Missouri), has also raised questions about her lenient sentencing of those accused of sex crimes involving children, an issue that has been widely discredited. So far, the Judge has met with every member of the Judiciary Committee and 44 senators in total ahead of the hearing, with more meetings expected before a final Senate vote. Democrats can confirm Jackson on their own as long as all 50 of their members support her, and are present to vote, and Vice President Kamala Harris breaks a tie. But Democrats are hopeful they’ll be able to pick up at least one GOP vote. Three Republicans— Senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) — previously voted for Jackson for her nomination for the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit.
Senators are in talks this week over how to quickly pass legislation to cut off normal trade relations with Russia, after the House overwhelmingly passed a bill last week in a 424-8 vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said that he was working “with my colleagues to find a way to move it through this chamber quickly” and that he expected it would get broad bipartisan support. The bill passed by the House raises tariffs on goods from Russia and Belarus and sets up strict guidelines for when the president can restore normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus based on the state of the Ukraine war. The Biden administration will additionally be obligated to push for Russia’s removal from the World Trade Organization. To get the bill through the Senate quickly, they would need buy-in from all 100 senators.
The House is in recess until Monday, March 28th returning for votes at 6:30 P.M.
