House

The Memorial Day holiday will cut the workweek in half for the House next week, but Republicans nonetheless will get a jump on three major 2013 spending bills.

The House is expected to pass an intelligence authorization bill by Thursday, and a military construction/Veterans Affairs bill by Friday. These bills are expected to be covered by a rule that also governs consideration of spending bills for the Department of Homeland Security and an energy and water spending bill, both of which are expected to pass later in the month.

A Friday memo from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to House Republicans says a spending bill for military construction and Veterans Affairs and an Intelligence authorization bill are both expected to pass the House next week.

Cantor said the military spending bill, H.R. 5854, should pass by Friday, and that the intelligence authorization bill, H.R. 5743, should be approved Thursday. Both of these bills will be covered by a rule that covers two other spending bills.

House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Howard Berman (D-Calif.) says passage of a bill allowing Israeli investors to travel to the United States will help create jobs in the United States, and praised the Senate for passing it Thursday night.

"This bill sends enterprising Israeli investors a clear and unambiguous message: the United States is open for business," Berman said. "The expansion of Israeli enterprises here will result in job creation for American workers."

Eggs produced in Iowa will not be able to ship to California soon because they will not meet California's standards.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Greg Jaczko, who announced this week he would resign as soon as the Obama administration finds a replacement, will face an oversight hearing next week before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing Thursday on "NRC Policy and Governance Oversight." Jaczko and the four other NRC commissioners will testify.

The House next week is likely to advance three 2013 spending bills, including one that chops more than $200 million from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and another that gives a significant boost to veterans programs.

The House Rules Committee has set a Wednesday meeting to approve rules for the three bills, which means the House could consider the rules by Thursday and perhaps start work on one or more of them.

The House next week is expected to work on legislation that would reauthorize U.S. intelligence agencies for 2013, and also authorize a newly created spy operation within the Department of Defense (DOD).

The Intelligence Authorization Act, H.R. 5743, would formally authorize DOD's Defense Clandestine Service, which is aimed at gathering intelligence beyond the countries in which U.S. forces are already engaged. DOD has said this will improve its military readiness and help it decide how to deploy forces around the world. The new service will also see increased cooperation between DOD and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on intelligence issues.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that the House would push for tougher Iran sanctions language than what the Senate approved on Monday.

"I am gratified that the Senate finally passed its Iran sanctions legislation, although I am concerned that the legislation is not strong enough," she said. "I look forward to convening a House-led conference that will afford members from both sides of the aisle in both chambers the opportunity to further strengthen the legislation and get it to the president's desk for signature as soon as possible."

Two House Republicans have put forward a bill that would block funding for or implementation of a United Nations treaty they fear could interfere with the Second Amendment right of Americans.

"The Second Amendment is an individual constitutional right and we must never allow that right to be trampled on by an international treaty," Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) said Monday. "This U.N. treaty is a direct threat to American sovereignty and the constitutional rights of all Americans.

Delegates to Congress from the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico were able to have their voice heard last week by getting three of their four amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) approved by the House, even though they were not permitted to vote on those amendments or the final bill.

Del. Gregorio Sablan of the Northern Mariana Islands (I) offered an amendment that would require the flags of all U.S. territories to be displayed at military installations when all the state flags are flown. Sabalan said Monday that this requirement recognizes that the military is made up of soldiers from these territories.