The Week Ahead: Hearings and legislation to move before recess

Two big confirmation hearings take place on Capitol Hill this week.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear from Solicitor General Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama’s choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. And the Senate Armed Services panel will take up the nomination of Gen. David Petraeus to become the new top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

Having left the tax extenders bill behind, the Senate moves instead to a small-business jobs package. The House, meanwhile, is expected to take up the war supplemental bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have stressed the war funding bill should be passed before lawmakers leave for the Fourth of July recess.

Also on the agenda for both chambers: the conference report on Wall Street reform.

And expect a flurry of fundraising e-mails this week. Wednesday marks the end of the second-quarter fundraising period.

Monday, June 28

-- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) speaks at 11 a.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the Democrats’ national security strategy.

-- Kagan’s confirmation hearing begins at 12:30 p.m. The proceedings will continue through the week.

-- Vice President Joe Biden will visit the headquarters of GE Appliances & Lighting in Louisville, Ky., to discuss the Recovery Act. He will be joined by Gov. Steve Beshear (D) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.).

-- The Center for American Progress hosts a forum on immigration, “In Search of Secure Borders,” from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 29

-- The Senate Armed Services Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. to hear from Petraeus, tapped to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal after McChrystal was relieved of his command last week. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) predicted Petraeus may enjoy the quickest confirmation in the history of the Senate, as the general enjoys strong support from both sides of the aisle.

-- King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia visits the White House.

-- The Center for American Progress hosts a discussion with the authors of a new book, John Paul Stevens: An Independent Life. The hourlong event starts at 6:30 p.m.

-- Biden will visit the National Incident Command Center in New Orleans and the Florida panhandle to assess the damage from the Gulf oil spill.

Wednesday, June 30

-- Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Inspector General Lt. Gen. R. Steven Whitcomb testify at 10 a.m. before the House Armed Services Committee on management problems at Arlington National Cemetery.

-- Senate Commerce holds a 10 a.m. full committee hearing on “The Deepwater Horizon Tragedy: Holding Industry Accountable.”

-- The Senate Homeland Security Committee convenes at 10 a.m. on the issue of nuclear terrorism.

-- Obama will be in Wisconsin to discuss the economy.

-- Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) speaks at 12:30 p.m. at the National Press Club on for-profit colleges and universities and their growing share of federal student aid dollars.

-- Wednesday marks the end of the second-quarter fundraising period, so expect a flood of solicitations from candidates. The reports are due to the Federal Election Commission by July 15.

-- Biden will be in Cleveland to fundraise for Democratic Senate candidate Lee Fisher.

Thursday, July 1

-- A Senate Commerce subcommittee meets at 10 a.m. on “Protecting Youths in an Online World.”

-- The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee subpanel holds a 10 a.m. hearing on workplace safety and worker protections at BP.

-- The Cato Institute holds a briefing at noon on “Using Work Visas to Secure the Border,” with Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) the featured speaker.

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