Scheduling

House Republicans on Monday night were prepping a new one-week fiscal 2011 spending bill, H.R. 1363, for passage this week in the event that Republicans and Democrats are unable to come to a final agreement on a full-term spending bill. The bill would cut $12 billion from current spending levels, much more than the usual $2 billion in cuts per week that Republicans have sought in the last two continuing resolutions.

As of Tuesday morning, the House Rules Committee said the chamber "may" consider this bill, and no meeting had been announced to approve a rule for the bill. Introducing the bill Monday night will allow the House to consider it as early as Wednesday, given the Republicans' practice of making bills public for three calendar days before bringing them up for a vote.

According to a summary of the bill, the continuing resolution funds the Defense Department for the rest of the year, and increases defense funding by 1.5 percent over fiscal 2010 levels.

Republicans over the weekend hinted they would release a 2012 spending plan that seeks to cut $4 trillion over the next 10 years, including dramatic changes to Medicare.

But in the meantime, Congress this week will find itself saddled with the grim realities of trying to reach agreement on a fiscal 2011 budget. Congress faces almost immediate pressure to reach a deal, since House Republicans have pledged to make public any bill it votes on for three days.

This means, for example, that if a deal can be reached and a bill made public by Wednesday, a House vote on Friday is possible.

Congress and the White House have until the end of next week to reach a long-term budget deal for FY 2011, punt with a short-term funding deal or watch the government shut down — or possibly some fourth option that no one can imagine yet.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the budget, the House schedule is a little more hazy than usual, based on the expectation that legislators at some point will have to start work to pass an agreement, or possibly another stopgap funding bill.

The House returns at 9 a.m. Friday to take up H.R. 1255, the Government Shutdown Prevention Act. This bill would attempt to pass into law H.R. 1, the GOP spending bill for FY 2011, should the Senate not approve any FY 2011 spending bill by next Wednesday. It would also prevent members of Congress — and the president — from being paid during a shutdown.

But the bill is largely seen as a symbolic attempt by Republicans to absolve themselves from blame should a shutdown occur. House passage of the bill does not turn H.R. 1 into law, as the Senate has not acted on the bill, and is not expected to.

While Democrats were hoping to amend the bill, H.R. 1255 will be taken up under a closed rule, with no amendments. Look for some tense debate over both the rule to the bill, and the bill itself, later today.

The House will also consider five remaining amendments to the four-year Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill. See these two Thursday posts (this one and this one) for details on amendments accepted and rejected so far.

The House adjourned shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday, and will reconvene at noon to hear an hour-long speech from Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) against U.S. military action in Libya.

After that, the House will begin debate on the rule for H.R. 658, the four-year Federal Aviation Administration authorization bill. In the afternoon, House members are expected to vote on that rule, as well as H.R. 872, which would lift a court-ordered requirement that certain pesticide users must obtain a Clean Water Act permit.

The House returns at 2 p.m. Tuesday to consider two bills, with votes expected around 6:30 p.m.

First up is H.R. 1079, a temporary extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization through May 31. The House is hoping that temporary extension will give Congress time to approve a four-year extension, which the House will take up later this week (H.R. 658).

The House will suspend its rules to pass H.R. 1079, which will require a two-thirds majority of voting members.

The House and Senate return next week facing the old question of how to reach a FY 2011 budget deal, but also the new question of how to assess sudden U.S. military involvement in Libya.

On Thursday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will try to gain clarity on Libya by quizzing Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg (not Secretary Hillary Clinton, as Republicans were hoping).

But lingering budget questions are expected to permeate the week, as the House and Senate have just two weeks to reach a final deal or be forced again into another short-term extension.

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday will meet to approve a rule for considering H.R. 471, a bill that would revive the D.C. school-voucher program that expired in 2009. Approval of the rule is expected to lead to a House vote on the bill later in the week.

The bill is sponsored by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who has made a point of bringing the voucher program back after Democrats let it expire.

Boehner has indicated that support for the bill from the White House could help President Obama and House Republicans work together on education reform, but Obama so far has indicated opposition. The bill would provide education vouchers for needy students but also provide funding for D.C. public and charter schools.

Congress will hold hearings next week to explore some of the international issues that have been brewing while members were out on recess.

On March 29, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing to get an update on the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex and how it is coping with the earthquake/tsunami disaster.

On March 31, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a much-anticipated hearing on U.S. military action in Libya. While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was sought to testify, her deputy, James Steinberg, will face questions from the committee.

The House next week is expected to take up at least three bills when it returns next week, including H.R. 658, which would reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs through 2014.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee marked up the bill on March 10, and Republicans will accept amendments to the bill that are introduced by March 29. The committee has also approved a bill to authorize FAA spending through May 31, but as of Wednesday that bill was not scheduled for consideration in the last week of March.