In a productive day, Congress made progress on both the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as well as raising the debt ceiling. Lawmakers released the text of the compromise reached on the annual defense policy bill on Tuesday in a new effort to get the sweeping bill across the finish line. The compromise on the 2022 NDAA, released by the House and Senate armed services panels, includes a $768.2 billion top line for discretionary funds and addresses a wide range of issues, from the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan to military justice reform. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) indicated in a Dear Colleague letter that the House will “move to pass” the NDAA Tuesday evening with a plan to vote on final passage and send the bill along to the Senate as soon as this week. Tuesday’s compromise comes after efforts in the Senate to finally pass the sweeping defense policy bill were repeatedly stalled by disputes over which amendments would receive votes on the floor. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said he would instead bring the compromise to the floor for a vote.
House Democrats on Tuesday introduced legislation that would allow the Senate to raise the debt ceiling without having to overcome a filibuster. The legislation would set up a one-time process to raise the debt limit to a specific number without requiring 60 votes to overcome procedural roadblocks. After that process is established with the help of Republicans, then Democrats are expected to pass the separate debt-ceiling increase without any GOP support. Senate Republicans emerging from a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) Tuesday said the proposal will pass the Senate with at least 10 Republican votes. The bill unveiled by the House Rules Committee combines a fast-track process for raising the debt ceiling with Medicare legislation. The 10-page proposal would avert automatic cuts faced by physicians and other medical providers under Medicare, while setting up the special procedures designed to pave the way for the debt-limit hike in the Senate.
For today, the Senate will resume work on the nomination of Jessica Rosenworcel to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission, Dierdre Hamilton to be a Member of the National Mediation Board and Chris Magnus to be Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection.
While the House waits for action on the NDAA and debt ceiling, it will consider fourteen bills under suspension of the Rules.
