The House on Thursday passed H.R. 1230, which would require the Department of the Interior to conduct four specified lease sales for offshore oil drilling.

Members approved the bill in a 266-149 vote. While several Democrats objected to the bill on the House floor, 33 Democrats supported it in the final vote, and only two Republicans voted against it.

The Senate has stood without any pending legislation, concrete plans to take up legislation or scheduled votes regarding legislation since it fell short on a cloture vote on the Small Business Administration (SBA) funding bill Wednesday afternoon.

On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, the chamber remained largely dormant, with a few senators occasionally coming to the floor to address a pet issue or a matter regarding their home district. 

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), for example, eulogized an influential constituent in a floor-speech Thursday, afternoon. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) expressed his discontent with "progressive" priorities of the federal bureaucracy.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah.) delivered a withering critique of liberals Thursday, saying they are as able to work across the aisle as the bombastic Donald Trump is able to be subtle.

"Progressives are to non-partisanship as Donald Trump is to subtlety," said Hatch from the Senate floor, referring to the billionaire real-estate mogul who might seek the 2012 GOP nomination for president.

“Ultimately, progressives are as partisan as they come and they push their liberalism through a vast and permanent bureaucracy that plods along day after day, largely out of sight of the American people who would never elect representatives who would actually promote this leftist anti-business agenda," said Hatch.  

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) on Thursday promised that his committee would soon take up legislation that would adjust revenue sharing among states for oil drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

Hastings made the pledge on the House floor in a colloquy with Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), in which he said changes to OCS revenue sharing would "absolutely be a focus and a priority."

"The committee will continue to move forward on an array of bills that will be introduced in advance as part of the American energy initiative," Hastings said. "Coming soon will be bills focused on expanding renewable energy, offshore production, onshore production, hydropower, coal, critical minerals and revenue sharing.

The House on Thursday approved a rule providing for debate and votes on two bills that Republicans hope will expand U.S. oil and gas production.

The House approved the rule on a 245-167 vote.

The rule covers H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, and H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is seeking to draw a parallel between the financial crisis of 2008 and the upcoming fight over lifting the nation's debt ceiling.

"Very few people saw the last crisis coming," McConnell said in an exchange with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on the Senate floor Thursday morning. "This one, on the other hand, is clear as day. Everyone agrees this is a crisis and everyone knows the upcoming debt-limit vote is the best chance we have to do something about it."

"We face a crisis that makes the panic of 2008 look like a slow day on Wall Street," added McConnell. 

The White House said drilling legislation on the House floor would “undercut” reforms established after the BP spill.

The House convenes at 9 a.m. Thursday to begin work on two bills that Republicans believe will help increase U.S. oil exploration.

The House will take up a rule governing debate on H.R. 1229 and H.R. 1230. H.R. 1229, called the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, would require the Department of the Interior to act on Gulf drilling permit applications.

A draft transportation authorization bill includes a proposal to tax automobile drivers based on their mileage.