Scheduling

The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches and at noon for legislative business. Final votes on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, H.R. 2055, are expected at around 2 p.m.

The House today also starts work on H.R. 2112, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. Members will start by debating the rule that the House Rules Committee approved on Monday night.

The return of the House and Senate next week marks the start of a pressure-filled, two-week work period in which both political parties are hoping to make progress on a debt-ceiling deal.

The pressure is coming from all directions: the lack of significant job creation in May, a stock market that has deflated over the last six weeks, more warnings of a housing double dip, and the fear in both parties that all of these factors will only get worse without a debt-ceiling agreement.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Friday outlined a summer legislative plan that includes reducing regulations, approving pending trade deals, passing patent reform and reducing barriers to U.S. energy production.

In a memo to House Republicans, Cantor put reducing regulatory burdens at the top of his list, and listed three bills for likely action in July and early August:

The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. for speeches, and soon thereafter resumes work on S. 782, the Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011. This bill would expand funding for the Public Works and Economic Development Administration (EDA).

On Wednesday, the Senate held its big vote on an amendment to delay limits on debit card fees, which failed in a 54-45 vote. Republicans have several other amendments to the bill, including one that would provide for a clean debt-ceiling increase, one that makes estate tax relief permanent, and even one that would completely defund the EDA.

The House will return briefly for a pro-forma session at 10:30 a.m., as it did Tuesday morning.

The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m., and soon after will resume consideration of S. 782, the Economic Development Revitalization Act.

Overshadowing the bill is an amendment that would delay a rule limiting the fees banks can charge business owners in debit card transactions. The amendment, from Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), would delay the rule for one year and require a study of how the rule might affect smaller banks.

The House is out all this week, and the Senate returns to a light schedule that could include an effort to fund an economic bureau within the Commerce Department.

Soon after returning at 2 p.m., the Senate on Monday will consider the nomination of Donald Verrilli to be solicitor general of the United States.

For the rest of the week, the Senate might take up a bill to fund the Economic Development Administration. The EDA is a bureau within Commerce that provides aid to U.S. businesses in distressed areas.

But this is a relatively small program, and considering the bill would be in line with the Senate Democrats' decision not to take on highly controversial issues. The EDA was funded $293 million in fiscal 2011, and the Obama administration proposed a $325 million budget for fiscal 2012.

The House is on recess next week, which in many ways puts on hold Washington's effort to cope with major issues like jobs, war authorization and the debt ceiling.

The Senate returns Monday, but has so far proven itself incapable of organizing its members on the big issues without coordination with the House (e.g., the Patriot Act), or from both the House and White House (e.g., the FY 2011 budget).

As of Friday, the Senate had no plans to even try to handle any of the big ticket items. Instead, the Senate is expected to consider a judicial nomination Monday and might consider taking up a minor reauthorization bill.

The House returns at 10 a.m. for speeches and noon for legislative work, and will start with a debate and vote on a rule for H.R. 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act for fiscal 2012.

This rule could be controversial because it includes language that "deems" the House GOP budget resolution as passed by Congress, even though it has only passed the House. Republicans say they need to deem the budget as passed in order to start the appropriations process for 2012, but Democrats can be expected to criticize the move and once again warn that the budget would dramatically alter Medicare.

The House is expected to begin brief debate on a debt ceiling bill and five other suspension bills shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday night. Votes on these bills and others expected by 6:30 p.m.

Members convened twice on Tuesday -- at noon and 2 p.m. -- only to adjourn quickly each time. The brief 2 p.m. meeting allowed a handful of brief speeches from members, including Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who called for Congress to take back the authority from the Federal Reserve to control the money supply.

Rep. Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) blasted the "false attacks" against the GOP's Medicare plan, and accused Democrats of trying to scare Medicare beneficiaries.

"To those of you who are trying to scare America's seniors I say, 'shame on you,'" Benishek said. "America deserves better."

The House will vote Tuesday on a measure to lift the debt ceiling with no corresponding spending cuts.