Preview: Congress This Week (October 1-5, 2007)

The big issues this week include whether President Bush will carry through on his threat to veto the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion, which had broad support from Republicans in addition to all Democrats. Congressional Democrats are also likely this week to respond to Bush's request last week for an additional $42 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which brings 2008's total to $190 billion.

For information on what's happening in the committees, see below for a full listing of committee hearings, courtesy of GovTrack.us.

Hearings Schedules:

October 2, 2007

Senate

House

October 3, 2007

Senate

  • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
    To hold hearings to examine combating genocide in Darfur, focusing on the role of divestment and other policy tools. [SD-538] -- Oct 3, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.
  • Senate Committee on Aging
    To hold hearings to examine veterans health, focusing on ensuring the care of aging heroes. [SR-325] -- Oct 3, 2007 at 10 a.m.
  • Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works -- Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
    To hold hearings to examine the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's reactor oversight process. [SD-406] -- Oct 3, 2007 at 10 a.m.
  • Senate Judiciary Committee -- Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
    To hold hearings to examine S.772, to amend the Federal antitrust laws to provide expanded coverage and to eliminate exemptions from such laws that are contrary to the public interest with respect to railroads. [SD-226] -- Oct 3, 2007 at 10:30 a.m.
    S. 772: Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2007
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
    To hold hearings to examine Burma's saffron revolution. [SD-419] -- Oct 3, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.
  • Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs -- State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration
    To hold hearings to examine pandemic influenza, focusing on state and local government efforts to prepare. [SD-342] -- Oct 3, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.

House

October 4

Senate

  • Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
    To hold an oversight hearing to examine the backlogs at the Department of the Interior, focusing on land in to trust application, environmental impact statements, probate, and appraisals and lease approvals. [SD-628] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.
  • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
    To hold hearings to examine United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, with Annexes, done at Montego Bay, December 10, 1982 (the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982, with Annex, adopted at New York, July 28, 1994 (the Agreement”), and signed by the United States, subject to ratification, on July 29, 1994 [SD-419] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.
  • Senate Armed Services Committee
    Business meeting to consider the nominations of John J. Young, Jr., of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, Douglas A. Brook, of California, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Robert L. Smolen, of Pennsylvania, to be Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration. [SD-106] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.
  • Senate Joint Economic Committee
    To hold hearings to examine the cost of mass incarceration in the United States. [SH-216] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 10 a.m.
  • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
    To hold hearings to examine the regulation and supervision of industrial loan companies. [SD-538] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 10 a.m.
  • Senate Judiciary Committee
    Business meeting to consider S.1640, to amend chapter 13 of title 17, United States Code to clarify the definitions of a hull and a deck, S.2035, to maintain the free flow of information to the public by providing conditions for the federally compelled disclosure of information by certain persons connected with the news media, S.Res.326, supporting the goals and ideals of a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, H.Con.Res.193, recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety, and the nomination of Thomas P. O'Brien, to be United States Attorney for the Central District of California. [SD226] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 10 a.m.
    S. 1640: Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2007
    S. 2035: Free Flow of Information Act of 2007
    S. Res. 326: A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of a National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
    H. Con. Res. 193: Recognizing all hunters across the United States for their continued commitment to safety
  • Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
    To hold hearings to examine the security of our nation's seaports. [SR-253] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 10 a.m.
  • Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs -- Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia
    To hold hearings to examine forestalling the coming pandemic, focusing on infectious disease surveillance overseas. [SD-342] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.
  • Senate Judiciary Committee
    To hold hearings to examine the implementation of the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act. [SD-226] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.
  • Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation -- Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety
    To hold hearings to examine S.2045, to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide greater protection for children's products, to improve the screening of noncompliant consumer products, to improve the effectiveness of consumer product recall programs. [SR-253] -- Oct 4, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.
    S. 2045: CPSC Reform Act of 2007

House

October 5, 2007

House