At time when much of Congress is focused on reducing the size of the government, a Senate subcommittee this week will hold a hearing to focus on "inspiring" students to work for the federal government.

The hearing, titled "Hearings to examine inspiring students to Federal service," is being held by the Senate Homeland Security Committee's subcommittee on the federal workforce.

Tennessee Republican Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander last week introduced legislation that would waive the requirement that all states install more reflective road signs by 2018.

Their bill, S. 1216, would ease what they say is a burden on all states to meet the road-sign mandate from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). That agency has required all state and local governments to present a plan to the federal government by next January on how they will put up more reflective road signs, which the FHWA says leads to safer driving.

The House is set to vote on repealing an election commission set up after the controversial 2000 presidential election

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) took a swing at President Obama in a speech Sunday and rallied conservatives to fight Democrats' "big government" principals.

The House returns at 10 a.m. for a pro forma session that should last just a few minutes and give members a chance to file new legislation.

The Senate returns at 2 p.m. for speeches; no votes are expected. Senators have until 3:30 p.m. to file amendments to S. 782, the Economic Development Revitalization Act of 2011.

Congress and the White House face a soft deadline next week for concluding work on a debt ceiling agreement that allows the U.S. to keep paying its bills beyond August 2, but also meets the Republican demand of committing to spending reductions.

President Obama has said he wants an agreement by the end of June, which would let Congress work on legislation to implement the deal in July. Under Obama's timeline, members essentially have until the end of this week, as the House is out next week.

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and three other members on Thursday introduced legislation aimed at ensuring that no U.S. taxpayer money is used to fund Hezbollah, the militant Muslim group based in Lebanon.

The Hezbollah Anti-Terrorism Act is a reaction to this week's formation of a new Lebanese government that includes Hezbollah and is led by a prime minister chosen by the group. Howard said Hezbollah continues to use terrorist tactics and violence, and predicted the group would subvert Lebanon's democratic institutions.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), in defending lawmakers’ use of Twitter, called disgraced former New York Democrat Anthony Weiner a "twit" with “serious personal problems.”

"When used appropriately, the site is a great way for lawmakers to connect with their constituents," McCaskill said in article published on a Missouri News website, OzarksFirst.com, on Thursday.

Two Senate panels will probe the need for increased cybersecurity next week in the wake of a series of high-profile cyber-attacks, including one that breached the official website of the U.S. Senate.