Senate Republicans are scrambling for a plan to exit Washington for a five-week August recess that won’t anger President Donald J. Trump, who has demanded they stay in town for as long as necessary to pass a third reconciliation blueprint and elements of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act. While both of those items have little chance of success, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said his top priorities are to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government until December 11th, a package of 74 of President Trump’s nominees as well as confirming Todd Blanche to serve as United States Attorney General. Senate Democrats are willing to speed up floor votes on the Russia sanctions bill, the stopgap funding bill and Blanche’s confirmation if Republicans agree to push off any consideration of a budget resolution to fund the Iran war and election reforms until after the August recess. The other obstacle to wrapping up for the August recess this week is that Leader Thune is pushing for a vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity, or CLARITY Act, a sweeping market structure reform bill favored by the cryptocurrency industry whose path forward remains in flux.
For today, Erica Schwartz is one step closer to being the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after clearing a key procedural hurdle earlier in the day. The Senate voted 51-43 to end debate on her nomination, clearing a path for a confirmation vote later today.
For the rest of today, the Senate plans to take up Confirmation of Executive Calendar #910 – Erica Schwartz, of Florida, to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed by a Motion to invoke cloture on 74 nominations en bloc as provided for in Executive Calendar #6, S.Res.817. The Senate is also expected to take up the Motion to proceed to Cal. #532 S.J.Res.187, A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Modification to the Start of the Submission Period for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Reporting and Recordkeeping Under TSCA 8(a)(7).”
