President Trump will address a joint session of Congress. The House will again vote on bills to reduce or roll back regulations. And the Senate will vote on the nominations of Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior and Wilbur Ross as Secretary of Commerce.
President Trump's First Address to a Joint Session of Congress
On Tuesday, February 28, the President will address a joint session of Congress (similar to the State of the Union address, which is held after a president's first year in office.
According to reports, President Trump will talk about "controlling immigration, cutting taxes, abolishing regulations, repealing the Affordable Care Act, pulling out of multinational trade agreements and spending more on defense and homeland security."
Annual Senate Reading of George Washington's Farewell Speech​
Another "presidential address" will take place this week in Congress:
At 3:00 p.m. on Monday, February 27, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse [R], will read Washington's Farewell Speech. In this famous speech, Washington announced that he would not run for a third term.
The reading of the speech is an annual Senate tradition begun in 1862 "as a pep rally of sorts 'during the darkest days of the Civil War,'" according to the Senate historian.
In the Senate: Presidential Nominations
Nominations continue in the Senate, with Floor votes expected for Steve Mnuchin (Treasury), David Shulkin, (Veterans Affairs) and Linda McMahon (SBA).
Ryan Zinke
Secretary of Interior
On POPVOX: 50% SUPPORT | 50% OPPOSE
Wilbur Ross
Secretary of Commerce
On POPVOX: 46% SUPPORT | 54% OPPOSE
In the House:
Regulatory Changes and Invalidating Obama Rules
The House will again use the Congressional Review Act to vote to invalidate an Obama administration rule. The CRA 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.
H.J.Res. 83:
Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to “Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness”
Sponsor: Rep. Bradley Byrne [R, AL-1]
Read the rule
H.R. 1009: OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act
Creating a group within the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to streamline processing and provide help to small businesses attempting to comply with federal regulations. This group would also focus on reducing repetitive regulations.
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Mitchell [R, MI-10]
H.R. 998 SCRUB Act Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome ActEstablishing a commission to review existing federal regulations and identify those that should be repealed to reduce the cost of regulations on the economy, with a requirement to review all regulations within 10 years.
Sponsor: Rep. Jason Smith [R, MO-8]
H.R. 1004: Regulatory Integrity Act
Directing each federal agency to make information regarding regulatory actions publicly available in a searchable format on a prominent website, including date a regulation was considered, its current status, an estimate of when the regulation would be final, and a brief description of the regulation. Agencies would also be required to track the details of all public communications about pending regulatory actions.
Sponsor: Rep. Tim Walberg [R, MI-7]
H.R. 1033: Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act
Requiring the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) to prepare a report each year on the amount of fees and other expenses awarded by federal courts to nonfederal entities when they prevail in a case against the United States. The bill also would require the ACUS to create an online searchable database containing information about cases in which fees and expenses were awarded by courts or federal agencies.
Sponsor: Rep. Doug Collins [R, GA-9]
Also in the House: NASA and Public Lands
S. 442: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Cruz [R, TX]
The legislation would reaffirm existing policy regarding use of the International Space Station (ISS) and would require NASA to develop a transition plan that would enable greater participation in the ISS and low-earth orbit by NASA’s industry partners and additional partner countries. It also would require NASA to develop propulsion technologies intended to reduce travel time to Mars and a strategic framework for human space flight to Mars.
H.R. 88: Shiloh National Military Park Boundary Adjustment and Parker’s Crossroads Battlefield Designation Act
Sponsor: Rep. Marsha Blackburn [R, TN-7]
H.R. 228: Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Consolidation Act of 2017, as amended
Sponsor: Rep. Don Young [R, AK-0]
H.R. 699: Mount Hood Cooper Spur Land Exchange Clarification Act
Sponsor: Rep. Greg Walden [R, OR-2]
H.R. 863: To facilitate the addition of park administration at the Coltsville National Historical Park…
Sponsor: Rep. John Larson [D, CT-1]
Please keep in mind that highlighting a bill does not imply POPVOX endorsement in any way. As always, our goal is to offer one more way to help you stay informed about the complex U.S. legislative system.
