On The Hill

Congress Wildlife Package On Thursday (Oct. 1), the House passed S. 3051, America’s Conservation Enhancement Act, by voice vote. The bill would authorize $1.1 billion in conservation programs. The legislation was originally negotiated by the leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, John Barrasso (R-WY) and Tom Carper (D-DE). The bill would reauthorize…

China Task Force Recommendations On Wednesday (Sep. 30), the China Task Force (CTF), led by 15 House Republicans and chaired by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), unveiled its recommendations to crack down on China. The recommendations come after a months-long probe into the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and problems…

House Passes $2.2T Relief Bill On Thursday (Oct. 1), the House passed the revised HEROES Act. The new legislation would provide: $76 billion for testing, contact tracing, and isolation measures, and $28 billion for development, manufacturing, and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. The legislation is unlikely to move in the Republican-led Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi…

Congress CR On Tuesday (Sep. 22), the House voted 359-57 to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government until Dec. 11, 2020. “We have an agreement that will keep the government functioning for the people,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said on Tuesday (Sep. 22). On Thursday (Sep. 24), the Senate had…

Supreme Court Vacancy On Friday (Sep. 18), Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg was known as a champion of gender equality, civil liberties, and pay equity, and also leaves behind a long environmental legacy. President Trump plans to announce a nominee…

Supreme Court Vacancy On Friday (Sep. 18), Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87. Ginsburg was nominated to the bench in 1993 and went on to be known as a champion of gender equality, civil liberties, and pay equity. Her death sets up a battle over the future of…

Progress on CR, Additional Relief Talks Late Tuesday evening (Sep. 22), the House passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running through Dec. 11, 2020. The Senate plans to hold a final vote on a funding bill next Tuesday (Sep. 29), putting it right up against the Wednesday deadline to prevent a shutdown.…

Canadian Aluminum On Tuesday (Sep. 15), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer announced the U.S. will halt tariffs on imports of Canadian aluminum. The Trump administration reimposed the tariffs in August 2020. The announcement said the U.S. “will resume duty-free treatment of non-allowed, unwrought aluminum,” and make the action retroactive to Sep. 1, 2020. However,…

Groups Call for Action on Energy Bill   This week, a group of more than 70 organizations across energy sectors urged Congress to pass the American Energy Innovation Act, S. 2657. The bipartisan bill stalled earlier this year due to an impasse over hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Last week, a group of senators announced a compromise on the…

Ways and Means Vacancy   On Wednesday (Sep. 16), House Democrats chose Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) to fill the late John Lewis’s seat on the House Ways and Means Committee. Next week, the full House Democratic caucus is expected to ratify Richmond for the committee. Richmond also serves as a national co-chair on the Biden…