Appropriations

"We know that first-responders are being cut. We know that community police [are] being cut," Rep. Xavier Becerra said.

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) says the Pentagon should be more aggressive to stem the number of Chinese cyber attacks against U.S. interests.

Rogers told Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Martin Dempsey that he thought the military should be doing more to stem the number of cyber attacks coming from China.

“I think we have to take action with China to stop the PLA from bombarding us hourly with these hack attacks,” Rogers said. “They've stolen all sorts of weaponry from us and research, even the F-35. And I would hope that the department would be much more aggressive on the cybersecurity front.”

A bipartisan immigration plan with major implications for the economy is set to arrive on Capitol Hill this week.

Business groups are eager to see how the Senate’s Gang of Eight deals with visas for both high-skilled and low-skilled workers in the bipartisan plan. They say an “ample” amount of visas are needed to plug holes in America’s workforce. 

Lawmakers are also be entering their second week of poring over the White House’s budget plan.

The chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee plans to set spending levels according to the Senate budget.

The U.S.-China Business Council said China should not be singled out as Congress tries to prevent cyber spying.  

President Obama will offer a budget this week that is expected to include $600 billion in new tax hikes and calls for entitlement cuts.

The long-delayed White House budget will arrive on Capitol Hill months late — and after the House and Senate approved their own budget blueprints.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will testify at hearings on Thursday with the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees. He may also get some questions about his two-day swing through Europe, where he is set to discuss the EU financial crisis.

Jeff Zients, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will testify Thursday before the Senate Budget panel on the president’s proposal. The House Budget Committee will also explore the president’s proposal with Zients on Thursday.

The number of furlough days will be reduced from 22 to 14, thanks to legislation passed by Congress.

The spending bill includes the same funding levels as House-approved legislation, and keeps the $85 billion in sequestration cuts

The measure would have shifted money from a Heritage Area account that the administration had targeted for spending reductions.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) announced that senators are working on a deal to pass the continued spending resolution by the end of Wednesday.

Some Republican senators have been holding up final passage of the bill because they want votes on their amendments.