Scheduling

Next week may well decide which of the three sets of discussions to stave off a government debt crisis has a chance of bearing fruit.

The first track, which was already complicated enough when it was the only track, is the attempt by the White House and members of Congress to strike a deal on spending cuts and tax increases. As this week showed, the ongoing disagreement over how much to cut and how much new revenue to generate has stalled this effort.

The House has a light schedule of hearings next week, in large part because the House was only told recently it would be in session next week to continue work on a debt-ceiling agreement.

Nonetheless, two House committees are planning some consequential work. On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will meet to mark up the 2012 foreign relations authorization act, and on Thursday, the House Agriculture Committee meets to discuss derivatives reform.

The House meets at 10 a.m. for legislative work, and is expected to finish the 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Act.

Members face several votes today to more significantly cut the $30.6 billion bill funding the Department of Energy and other agencies. But based on prior votes, the House is expected to essentially maintain current funding in the bill, which is $1 billion lower than fiscal 2011 levels.

The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches and noon for legislative work, which consists of continuing work on H.R. 2354, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act.

Members of the House debated 14 amendments to the bill Wednesday night, some of which will be voted on today. By voice vote, the House approved amendments that would transfer $2.2 million in fossil energy R&D to state oil and gas commissions (Rehberg), cut $2.5 million from Department of Energy administration funding (Broun) and move $35 million from administration funding to a Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account (Fortenberry).

The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. is expected to hold a cloture vote on a sense of the Senate favoring higher taxes on people earning $1 million a year or more.

Senate Republicans have so far allowed the resolution, S. 1323, to move along in the Senate, but are expected at some point to vote against it in a demonstration of their opposition to higher taxes.

The House returns at 10 a.m. for speeches and noon for legislative work, and has two main bills to consider.

Members will begin working on amendments to H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act. The rule approved last week makes 25 amendments in order to this bill that would allow the National Flood Insurance Program to charge higher premiums and reduce rate subsidies in an effort to remove nearly $18 billion of red ink from the program.

The Senate meets at 2 p.m., and at 5:30 p.m. is expected to hold a cloture vote on S. 1323, a sense of the Senate bill expressing support for raising taxes on people who earn $1 million or more a year.

The vote comes just hours after the White House and House Republicans announced that they remain deeply split over whether taxes should be a part of any debt-ceiling solution. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Sunday said Republicans can't support a Democratic proposal to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion deal because that plan involves at least $1 trillion in tax increases.

Washington got hit square in the jaw this week by a terrible jobs report that can only complicate efforts to reach a debt ceiling deal, which must be reached before August 2 in order to avoid a government default and/or partial government shutdown.

Does government spending create jobs? Does cutting the budget deficit create jobs? Can raising taxes be part of the equation after such a bad jobs report? Which programs can be cut that won't hurt job creation? Does anything government does have any effect on jobs at all?

Republicans and Democrats now have just three weeks to find the answers, or more likely, struggle to reach the true grand compromise: the right ingredients in a debt ceiling, spending and tax agreement that can also be sold to voters as a jobs plan (limited snickering at the edges from partisan economists would also help).

The House returns at 9 a.m. Friday to finish work on the 2012 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, H.R. 2219. Members have debated amendments to this bill for the last two nights, but are expected today to complete that work and vote on final passage.

The House on Thursday rejected most controversial amendments to defund Afghanistan and Libya operations, and on Friday is expected to reject a handful of amendments before approving the bill.

The House adjourned at about 9 p.m. Thursday, after approving a few amendments to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act and holding some for roll-call votes on Friday.

Among other things, members voted to deny funding to African countries that support military training involving child soldiers, to prohibit funding for ground troops in Libya and to block funding for a new flight suit design. Those with more energy can review all the amendment votes so far here, but many of the major anticipated amendments on Libya, Afghanistan and Pakistan were debated and voted on earlier.

The House returns at 9 a.m. Friday for legislative work. A final vote on the DOD spending bill is expected before the House adjourns Friday.