House

Republicans in the House, led by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), have proposed legislation that would eliminate the Export-Import Bank, which provides government-backed export finance assistance to U.S. companies.

The Export-Import Bank Termination Act, H.R. 2263, would shut down the bank's financing activities after a year and hand the entity over to the Treasury Department to wind down.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) on Thursday said on the House floor that Republicans are lobbing baseless charges that Attorney General Eric Holder perjured himself before Congress last month, and said he is one of the finest public servants in the history of the country.

"[I]t serves us no purpose to go on an unsubstantiated witch hunt for what is one of the finest public servants that this country has seen, and that is the Attorney General of the United States Eric H. Holder Jr.," Jackson Lee said on the House floor.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) introduced legislation on Thursday that would legalize online gambling.

The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013 would establish a federal regulatory regime for online gaming. It would let states like New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada that have already legalized Internet gambling in some form to continue to do so.

“A common federal standard will ensure strong protections for consumers, protect against problem and underage gambling, and make it easier for businesses, players, lawmakers, and regulators to navigate and freely participate,” King said in a statement.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Thursday morning that Republicans will not agree to a House-Senate budget conference as long as Democrats insist on pressing for a tax hike in those talks.

"We remain committed to addressing the problems of budget, but will not do so while there is an insistence that a prerequisite is raising taxes," Cantor said on the House floor.

The House on Thursday passed its second 2014 spending bill of the year, one that would provide $38.9 billion in discretionary funds for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The bill, which includes funding for disaster aid, counterterrorism programs and border protection, was approved in a 245-182 vote. Twenty-five Democrats supported it, and 10 Republicans opposed it.

The House voted Thursday morning to defund President Obama's orders that allow officials to focus deportation efforts on illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes.

Republicans have argued that these orders amount to the selective enforcement of U.S. immigration laws that discourages enforcement against children who were brought to the United States illegally, or illegal immigrant adults who are not in any legal trouble. Many Republicans have dubbed Obama's orders as "administrative amnesty."

The House starts at 9 a.m. to finish work on H.R. 2217, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act.

Members of the House spent all day Wednesday considering amendments to the bill, and should be able to pass the $38.9 billion spending bill early in the day. That will be the last House vote this week, as the House is out on Friday.

The House passed a handful of minor amendments to the 2014 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill before adjourning at 12:30 a.m.

Late Wednesday and early Thursday, members also engaged in some heated debate over amendments on immigration and the Transportation Security Administration.

The DHS would be prevented from entering into contracts until officials report on the need for the ammo and its cost.

The House voted Wednesday night to prohibit the government from spending any money in fiscal year 2014 to implement any changes to rules on what sharp objects can be brought on airplanes.

The vote came on the same day that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) decided against its original plan to allow two-inch knives on planes. TSA was prepared to allow this policy change, but faced a backlash from Congress and others worried that it would allow put air passengers at risk of another 9/11-style attack.