Legislative Debate

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has introduced a Republican substitute to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization that is currently being considered by the Senate.

Grassley said Thursday that his alternative was needed because S. 47 could violate constitutional rights.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday criticized Republicans for focusing on "message bills" over the last few weeks, instead of focusing their energy on a way to resolve the pending sequester that would cut billions in government spending.

"It's time for us to get on and deal with real solutions, not message bills as we did this week and we did two weeks ago," Hoyer said in his weekly colloquy with Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). "That's all we've done."

Sen. Brown told reporters that he might skip a scheduled debate with Elizabeth Warren if Senate votes ran late.

House lawmakers will battle over climate science when they debate GOP legislation to roll back White House policies that Republicans blame for the coal industry’s woes.

Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-Calif.) amendment to uphold a federal finding on the threat of greenhouse gas emissions is among 13 amendments the House Rules Committee has approved for debate.

Other amendments include Rep. David McKinley’s (R-W.Va.) plan to restrict the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to retroactively veto coal mine permits. But the Rules Committee, which sets the terms of engagement for floor battles, is not allowing votes on amendments to extend wind energy tax credits.

Lawmakers will open debate Thursday and final votes are expected Friday. The underlying bill and full list of amendments slated for debate are here.

House Minority Whip Hoyer said the bill would subject Fed decisions "on interest rates and monetary policy to GAO audit."

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) sent a letter Thursday to Senate leadership asking them to address procedures currently holding up action in the Senate.

Writing to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Snowe said Senate procedures, such as the filibuster, cloture motion and filling the amendment tree have led to deadlock.

Several House Democrats and Republicans started debate on a 2013 Department of Defense spending bill by protesting the ongoing war in Afghanistan, and calling on members to support amendments over the next several days aimed at reducing funding for the war.

The bill, H.R. 5872, already cuts spending on Afghanistan and Iraq by about $27 billion, which reflects reduced operations in those countries. But the United States is still set to have troops in Afghanistan in 2014, and several members said Congress should speed up that process.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he hopes to advance a bill on Thursday that would encourage companies to bring jobs back to the United States, and remove current tax breaks for outsourcing jobs overseas.

But it's already unclear whether the Senate can make any progress on the outsourcing bill. Reid indicated that there is enough Republican opposition to it that he is being forced to set up a procedural vote on the bill Thursday, setting up the prospect that the Senate will spend the week debating two major bills without making any headway on either.

Democrats are planning to keep a Senate debate going on campaign finance legislation through midnight and into Tuesday morning to protest a planned GOP filibuster.

A procedural vote to move forward on legislation requiring companies to report campaign spending above $10,000 is set for 6 p.m., but is not expected to win the 60 votes necessary.

If it does not, Senate Democrats promise to hold a “midnight vigil” in which they will stay on the Senate floor through the night.
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If Congress and Americans knew how the 2010 healthcare law would limit health insurance choices, fail to lower insurance premiums, and raise taxes, it never would have become law, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) argued Tuesday evening.

Ryan was speaking on the House floor as part of the day-long debate on legislation to repeal the law, which the House will approve on Wednesday. He said the law was based on three promises from President Obama that, two years later, have been broken.