U.S. Government

Both the House and Senate are in session this week, with each chamber expected to debate and consider several important bills and resolutions. Highlights include:

• The Senate is expected to consider a "no-confidence" vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Numerous Democratic and Republican senators have already called for Gonzales' resignation in light of the ongoing Bush administration U.S. attorney firings controversy.
• The Senate will debate a comprehensive energy bill intended to promote energy independence and security, an increase in the production of renewable fuels, an increase in the energy efficiency of products, buildings and vehicles, and additional research on controlling greenhouse gas emissions.
• The House will take up four fiscal year (FY) 2008 appropriations bills, including Homeland Security, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Energy and Water, and Interior and the Environment. The funding levels considered are expected to be greater than those initially proposed by President Bush.

After the jump is a full listing of this week's House and Senate hearings, courtesy of GovTrack.

Update: Sen. [[Craig Thomas#Illness and death|Craig Thomas]] (R-Wyo.) died late on Monday, June 4 at the age of 74. Our condolences go out to his family.

[[Congresspedia]] is currently following two recent developments pertaining to members of Congress.

After a lengthy investigation, Rep. [[William Jefferson#Indictment|William Jefferson]] (D-La.) was indicted today on sixteen criminal counts which include racketeering, money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy to solicit bribes by a public official. Jefferson allegedly accepted bribes ($90,000 was found in his freezer) to promote high-tech business ventures in Africa. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

In other news, Sen. [[Craig Thomas#Illness and death|Craig Thomas]] (R-Wyo.) is in "serious condition" at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Thomas, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006, is undergoing a second round of chemotherapy, but his blood cancer has rejected treatment and he is suffering from an infection. He was elected to his third Senate term last November. If Thomas were to die or leave the Senate, the state Republican Party would select three candidates and forward those names to Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who would pick one as his replacement.

Congresspedia has more info on both [[William Jefferson#Indictment|Jefferson]] and [[Craig Thomas#Illness and death|Thomas]] on their respective profile pages. I encourage you to visit them, and improve them with further details.