The week, much of the focus in Congress will be on the executive order signed by President Trump late Friday and temporarily halted by a Boston court on Saturday. Congress will also vote to invalidate several rules put in place by the Obama administration in its final months.
Nominations will continue to move in the Senate, with Floor votes expected for Rex Tillerson Secretary of State) and Elaine Chao (Secretary of Transportation); and committee votes scheduled for Rep. Jeff Sessions (Attorney General), and Betsy DeVos (Education Secretary), Rep. Tom Price (HHS Secretary), Rick Perry (Energy Secretary), and Ryan Zinke (Interior Secretary). An announcement is expected Tuesday of President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court.
Congressional response to Executive Orders freezing entry by citizens from seven countries, and halting refugee admissions
An executive order signed late afternoon on Friday, brought confusion and protests at major airports over the weekend. As of Monday morning, the text was still not available on the White House website (read full text from CNN). The order suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days, completely bars refugees from Syria, and reduces total annual refugee admission to 50,000. It halts entry to the U.S. for citizens of seven countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) for 90 days, while the U.S. will seek agreements on information-sharing with those countries. In response
Over the weekend, the order caused people with valid visas, U.S. permanent residents, and people with dual citizenship to be detained and, in many cases, deported. On Saturday afternoon, a Boston district judge issued a decision halting this part of the order for seven days to allow for a suit challenging its constitutionality to go forward.
Many Democratic members of Congress joined protesters at airports across the country and vowed to introduce legislation to reverse the order. However, any Congressional action would require significant Republican agreement. While some GOP members have spoken against the order, there are so far no indications from house Speaker Paul Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that there will be action in either chamber.
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Presidential Nominations
Nominations continue in the Senate, with Floor votes expected for Rex Tillerson Secretary of State) and Elaine Chao (Secretary of Transportation).
Rex Tillerson
Secretary of State
Elaine Chao
Secretary of Transportation
Committee votes are scheduled for Rep. Jeff Sessions (Attorney General), and Betsy DeVos (Education Secretary), Rep. Tom Price (HHS Secretary), Rick Perry (Energy Secretary), and Ryan Zinke (Interior Secretary).
In the House: Invaidating Obama Rules under the Congressional Review Act
The rarely-used Congressional Review Act gives Congress sixty “session days” to overturn a rule issued by the Executive branch. A resolution of disapproval must pass each chamber and is not subject to the 60-vote threshold filibuster in the Senate. This week, Congress will vote to disapprove several Obama-era rules.
(These bills do not yet have official bill numbers so are not yet in the POPVOX system. Please check POPVOX.com for more information throughout the week.)
Disapproving the Stream Protection Rule
Sponsor: Rep. Bill Johnson
Disapproving the rule "“Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers”
Sponsor: Rep. Bill Huizenga
Disapproving the rule relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007
Sponsor: Rep. Sam Johnson
Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation
Sponsor: Rep. Virginia Foxx
Disapproving the rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to “Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation”
Sponsor: Rep. Rob Bishop
Also in the House: Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Bills
H.R. 58: First Responder Identification of Emergency Needs in Disaster Situations (FRIENDS) Act, as amended
Sponsor: Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee [D, TX-18]
To provide for consideration of the extension under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of nonapplication of No-Load Mode energy efficiency standards to certain security or life safety alarms or surveillance system.
H.R. 666: Department of Homeland Security Insider Threat and Mitigation Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Peter King [R, NY-2]
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Insider Threat Program,
H.R. 697: Department of Homeland Security Clearance Management and Administration Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bennie Thompson [D, MS-2]
To improve the management and administration of the security clearance processes.
H.R. 642: Fusion Center Enhancement Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Lou Barletta [R, PA-11]
H.R. 526: Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act of 2017, as amended
Sponsor: Rep. John Katko [R, NY-24]
H.R. 665: Airport Perimeter and Access Control Security Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. William Keating [D, MA-9]
To modernize and enhance airport perimeter and access control security by requiring updated risk assessments and the development of security strategies
H.R. 366: DHS SAVE Act
Sponsor: Rep. Scott Perry [R, PA-4]
To direct the Under Secretary for Management of the Department of Homeland Security to make certain improvements in managing the Department's vehicle fleet
H.R. 347: DHS Acquisition Documentation Integrity Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Bonnie Coleman [D, NJ-12]
To provide for requirements relating to documentation for major acquisition programs
H.R. 549: Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Donovan [R, NY-11]
H.R. 687: First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act
Sponsor: Rep. Donald Payne [D, NJ-10]
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish a process to review applications for certain grants to purchase equipment or systems that do not meet or exceed any applicable national voluntary consensus standards.
H.R. 584: Cyber Preparedness Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Donovan [R, NY-11]
To enhance preparedness and response capabilities for cyber attacks, bolster the dissemination of homeland security information related to cyber threats…
H.R. 690: Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act
Sponsor: Rep. Cedric Richmond [D, LA-2]
To enhance certain duties of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
H.R. 655: Securing the Cities Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Donovan [R, NY-11]
To establish the Securing the Cities program to enhance the ability of the United States to detect and prevent terrorist attacks and other high consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials…
H.R. 437: Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act
Sponsor: Rep. Gus Bilirakis [R, FL-12]
To codify authority under existing grant guidance authorizing use of Urban Area Security Initiative and State Homeland Security Grant Program funding for enhancing medical preparedness, medical surge capacity…
H.R. 612: United States-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. James Langevin [D, RI-2]
H.R. 505: Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2017
Sponsor: Rep. Martha McSally [R, AZ-2]
H.R. 677: CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act
Sponsor: Rep. Martha McSally [R, AZ-2]
H.R. 678: Department of Homeland Security Support to Fusion Centers Act
Sponsor: Rep. Martha McSally [R, AZ-2]
*An earlier version of this update incorrectly listed Rep. Martha McSally as a Democrat. She is a Republican.
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