This Week in Washington

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Thanks for your interest in Washington, D.C. and thanks for reading This Week in Washington.

Erik Paulsen and I cover the October surprise in September, the last push for additional COVID legislation, the upcoming lame duck session, and significant developments at the Labor Department, the Small Business Administration, and the IRS – all that and more in Heard on the Hill.

I also take another look at issues surrounding the U.S. Postal Service with a very relevant interview of an industry insider, and share a link to an insightful research report from the American Enterprise Institute separating fact from fiction.

Al Jackson shares his expertise in providing a Defense Update, and Ramona Lessen provides brief summaries of two Congressional hearings: one before the House Financial Services Committee focusing on the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Oversight, and a second of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee with an update on the federal response to COVID-19.

We are putting our October schedule together for both This Week and for Total Spectrum Spotlight, and we thank you again for your interest.

Steve Gordon, Managing Partner

Heard on The Hill

By Steve Gordon, Total Spectrum Managing Partner, and Former Congressman Erik Paulsen (2009-2019), Total Spectrum Strategic Consultant

An October surprise in October

Washingtonians went to bed Thursday night knowing that Hope Hicks, one of the original staff members of his 2016 campaign who followed him to the White House, then left government service and recently returned to the White House, tested positive for the COVID-19 on Wednesday. Washingtonians woke up Friday morning to the news that the President and Mrs. Trump confirmed that they also have tested positive for COVID-19.

Then at 10:00 Eastern time on Friday, Ronna McDaniel, the Chair of the Republican National Committee, confirmed that she too had tested positive for the virus.

The White House is reporting that the President is experiencing mild symptoms and will work from the White House. But this certainly will curtail campaign events, and the next scheduled debate with former Vice President Biden will almost assuredly be postponed or cancelled.

An October surprise in late September

Attorney Ruth Bader Ginsberg changed the lives of all Americans – but especially women – by arguing more than 300 gender discrimination cases. She led the way to overturning laws that discriminated on the basis of sex by extending the 14^th Amendment of the Constitution to gender.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg continued her work when she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and later when she became the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Much has been made of her ability to disagree with her judicial colleagues, but to never make her disagreements personal. The best-known example is Justice Ginsberg, the reserved and liberal icon, having a long and close friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia, the larger-than-life conservative icon.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died on September 18^th and became the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.

Her death reset the November elections. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell secured the support of his Republican colleagues to hold hearings and vote on the President’s nominee to succeed the late Justice Ginsberg. President Trump waited until last Saturday to announce 48-year-old Judge Amy Coney Barrett, currently on the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals, as his nominee to fill the vacancy.

Republicans remember the uptick in the polls for both the President and the Republican Senate after Justice Brett Cavanaugh was confirmed in 2018. They hope that replacing Justice Ginsberg with a conservative will generate the same response this year, providing a boost right before the November elections.

Democrats cannot stop the confirmation process if Republican Senators stick together. They hope that nationalizing the race will hurt Republicans in a few key Senate races and help Democrats retake control of the U.S. Senate.

The tentative schedule for the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings has been set:

Monday, October 12 Opening Statements
Tuesday, October 13 First Round of Questions
Wednesday, October 14 Second Round of Questions
Thursday, October 22 Report the Nominee out of Committee

Senator McConnell will certainly try to bring the nomination to the floor for a vote prior to the election, but there is an inherent risk. Republican Senators fighting to hold their seats will have to leave the campaign trail in the last few weeks of the campaign to go back to Washington and vote, and that vote could be delayed while Senate Democrats use a series of delaying tactics. The Leader could also bring up the nomination during the lame duck session. However, the risk there is that it would take all the oxygen out of the air and doom action on most other things.

Additional COVID Legislation

Speaker Pelosi passed the HEROES Act in May, which had a price tag of over $3 trillion. Her second attempt was a ‘skinny’ bill that could cost about $2.4 trillion. This week the Speaker announced that she could do maybe around $2.2 trillion, although Republicans think the real number is around $2.5 trillion. It’s known that the Speaker is getting fairly significant pressure from moderate Democrats in her caucus who want an agreement.

The Republican Senate Caucus is highly divided. Their current proposal is for $650 billion of new money and $350 billion of repurposed money (appropriated funds that are currently unused). Some members of the caucus prefer to send less than $1 trillion, and some members wish to spend more.

Republican Senators have privately told us that they could see where the final number is around $1.5 trillion – IF the Speaker compromises, and IF the President really leans on the caucus. But many Republican Senators would vote no on that bill, and there is some question if Minority Leader Schumer would want to give the President a victory.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has begun having conversations with the Speaker, and many believe that both the President and Secretary Mnuchin really want a bill. Speaker Pelosi has hinted publicly that she has held firm believing that the President would ultimately find a way to compromise. Many other people believe that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows would prefer not to compromise with the Speaker.

Secretary Mnuchin announced Wednesday on CNBC morning that he was going to make one more attempt to make a deal at the $1.5 trillion amount, but with an escalator clause that could bring it up to $2 trillion. The Secretary and Speaker Pelosi visited extensively Wednesday and Thursday, and the top line number seems not to be as much of an issue as where the money would be spent.

A Republican Senator said on a phone call Thursday afternoon that “there would probably not be further COVID-19 legislation until after the election… there are too many ‘poison pills’ in the House plan and there’s no provision for the liability protections that the Republican Senate Caucus strongly supports.”

It is very difficult to know how Leader McConnell would handle a bill at $2 trillion when the sweet spot for his caucus is $1 trillion, and he doesn’t want to take a bill to the Senate floor for a vote that does not have the support of a majority of Republican Senators.

Democrats in the House passed a ‘skinny’ HEROES Act on Thursday night which would provide $2.2 trillion for additional COVID assistance. The best guess is that additional COVID-19 legislation will be part of the lame duck session.

Funding to keep the Government Open

October 1 is the start of the new fiscal year. The House and Senate have passed, and the President did sign, a continuing resolution, commonly referred to as a CR, to keep next year’s budget at current levels until mid-December.

Included in the CR is a one-year extension of the Surface Transportation Bill. Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Finance Committee, and Senator Barrasso, Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, worked with Leader McConnell but they could not find $93 billion of new funding for the Surface Transportation Bill.

Schedule for Senate and the House

The House of Representatives has left Washington. The Senate will be in session though next Thursday or Friday, though they could return to Washington “subject to the call of the Chair.”

Lame Duck Session

There will have to be a lame duck session, but the outlines and prospects for a meaningful lame duck depends on the outcome of the November elections and when Judge Barrett’s nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court comes to the floor.

Senator Grassley, who also serves as the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, recently said, “Lame duck sessions generally have high expectations for success and low results.” But there is plenty that needs to be achieved. The appropriations process for the balance of the fiscal year 2020-2021 will have to be addressed. The National Defense Authorization Act should be passed, as well as expiring tax provisions and emergency funding for floods and other emergencies.

Watching the Agencies

Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor announced on September 22 a proposed rule clarifying the definition of an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the distinction between employees and independent contractors.

Small Business Administration

It is possible that the free money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) may turn out not to be free after all.

The PPP sent out $525 billion to 5.2 million borrowers, likely saving millions of jobs. But many borrowers anticipated that the grants would be forgiven. Banks and other institutions loaned the money with the expectation that it would be repaid by the Small Business Administration (SBA). But as of September 25, the SBA has not approved or denied any of the 96,000 forgiveness applications they have received.

The rules of the PPP indicate that financial institutions and the SBA have six months to decide whether a loan should be forgiven. Lenders then have 60 days to submit applications to the SBA once they receive them from their customer. The agency then has 90 days to make a final decision and send funds to the bank.

Internal Revenue Service

Accountants are waiting for clarification from the IRS on how companies who received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program will be allowed to count the monies.

Issuing Notice 2020-32, the IRS stated that expenses paid with forgiven PPP loans will not be deductible. Further, their Notice 2020-12 announced that lenders will not be filing payee statements showing loan forgiveness amounts.

Accountants I spoke with are concerned that if expenses are reduced for 2020, then the net effect would be to make the PPP income taxable. Please consult with your accountant or financial advisor for additional information and clarifications for specific situations.

Important Dates to Remember

December 14 Members of the Electoral College Meet
January 5 Georgia’s Runoff Senate elections (if needed)
January 20 Inauguration

Defense Update

By Al Jackson, Strategic Consultant to Total Spectrum

With both Republicans and Democrats anxious to leave town to further prepare for the election, it seems likely that both the House and the Senate will send a Continuing Resolution (CR) that would keep the government open at existing funding levels. Negotiations between the White House and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicate an agreement on the CR, as neither party wants a partial government shutdown before the election. How long the CR will extend is the question, as those details have not been made public. However, we should expect action on this legislation before the end of Fiscal-Year 2020, which is September 30, 2020.

As it relates to the Defense Appropriations Bill, the House approved its version on July 31. No bill or scheduled markup of Senate’s version has emerged from the Senate Committee on Appropriations. The Defense Department (DoD) will again be forced to operate under a CR for nine of the last ten years, as Congress has failed to pass an appropriations bill. As the department has indicated in past years, operating under a CR will inhibit readiness and new start programs to deal with new challenges. The Pentagon can only spend money on those programs that was appropriated the previous year, which means new programs such as Hypersonics, Artificial Intelligence, 5G and Unmanned Systems must await passage of a final DoD appropriations bill.

The National Defense Authorization Bill, passed by both the House and the Senate, has yet to go to conference, indicating action on this important legislation pertaining to DoD policy will not likely occur until after the November 3 election.

The delayed vote pushes off a decision from Congress about whether the Defense Department will rename military bases honoring Confederate leaders. This issue jeopardizes the bill being signed into law by President Trump, as he has threatened to veto it over the Confederate leader name changes. Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to back language requiring the base name changes. The House version requires the names changed within one year, while the Senate bill requires the name changes within three years of enactment.

As reported previously, the $740.5 billion defense authorization bill includes “must pass” provisions such as military pay hikes, defense equipment purchase plans, and strategic posturing of the armed forces in future years.

The Senate Committee on Armed Services’ version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed earlier this summer. As a recap, the 60th annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) supports a total of $740.5 billion in FY2021 funding for national defense, which is consistent with the 2019 Bipartisan Congressional Budget Agreement. Within this topline, the legislation authorizes a base defense budget of $636.4 billion for the DoD and $25.9 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy. The NDAA also authorizes $69 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations.

Contrary to the wishes of the DoD, the legislation establishes a minimum number of aircraft for each major mission area in the U.S. Air Force and prohibits the divestment of aircraft to ensure that the Air Force can meet combatant command requirements. The Pentagon’s plan to retire legacy aircraft such as the A-10, KC-10 and KC-135 will be delayed, as Congress wants to prohibit the retirement of these platforms. This is a win for Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ), who fought for the provision pertaining to the A-10 aircraft. This will have a direct impact on the 355^th Fighter Wing located at Arizona’s Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The bill also prohibits the divestment of any manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft operated by Special Operations Command.

The bill authorizes $9.1 billion to procure 95 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, which is 14 aircraft above the administration’s request, enabling the forces to modernize and equip themselves with the most advanced and capable fifth-generation aircraft:

$5.5 billion to procure 60 F-35As
$1.2 billion to procure 12 F-35Bs
$2.4 billion to procure 23 F-35Cs

Other highlights of the package are as follows:

Adds $165 million for the purchase of an additional MQ-1 aircraft for the Army to meet state requirements for unmanned fixed wing ISR.
Increases MQ-9 procurement by a total of $170.6 million to prevent termination without a replacement.
Supports Air Force pilot training to protect pilots and reduce the pilot shortage.

The impasse between Republicans and Democrats over a fourth COVID-19 stimulus package has put further pressure on the Pentagon and the defense industry. The Pentagon is now requesting almost double original needs estimates to prop up the defense industry to cover costs due to COVID-19 disruption. Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, said this month that she could be looking for as much as $20 billion in emergency funding, up from the original $11 billion request just last month to reimburse defense firms for lost work hours and disrupted supply chains. Stay tuned.

Another View of the U.S. Postal Service Issue

By Steve Gordon, Total Spectrum Managing Partner

In the last issue of This Week, Ramona Lessen provided coverage of the August 21^st hearing that held before the Senate Homeland Security Committee to examine the finances and operations of the U.S. Postal Service during COVID. The hearing’s witness was Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Allegations were made during the hearing, and have also been made in other venues, that Mr. DeJoy was deliberately taking sorting machines and mailboxes out of service as part of a plan to impact the upcoming elections.

I wanted to know what is accurate and what’s simply politics, so I reached out to an expert who has worked on this issue for years. I agreed to keep his identify confidential.

SG: Thanks for visiting with me. I know you are actively involved in issues concerning the postal service, so I have agreed to not identify you.

Thanks.

SG: I grew up in rural Minnesota, so I know how important the local post office was and still is to people in small towns and rural parts of the country. What other constituencies want and need the postal service?

A great number of businesses count on the USPS to deliver invoices, billings, and official information. Package delivery has taken up some of the slack as first-class mailings have declined.

SG: I reread the transcript of this and other hearings about the USPS since Mr. DeJoy became Postmaster General, and both sides of the argument seem to be reading from a script. I appreciate your help in sorting it all out so I can help determine what is real and what’s not.

The secret problem at the USPS is not much of a secret. The volume of mail being handled is dramatically down because people are using emails, texts, and the internet to communicate. There has been study after study written about the problem and possible solutions. One significant increase of revenue has come through FedEx, UPS, Amazon, and others using the USPS to deliver packages over “the last mile.” But the additional revenue from shipment of boxes has not brought the USPS to break even, or even close to it.

SG: If revenue and volume are down, then can operating costs be reduced?

That was certainly the idea behind the long-planned reduction of letter sorting machines and mailboxes. Some people have even pointed out that there are too many regional processing centers. But the budget buster is personnel. I am not talking about letter carriers, rather I am talking about clerks. The postal unions are strong and active.

SG: If revenue is going down and expenses are hard to trim, what is the answer?

Democrats believe that the answer is not in occasional bailouts, but in annual support for the USPS. Republicans prefer to look for new sources of revenue and new ways to control costs, but both additional revenue and cost reductions will be hard to generate.

As yet another review on the topic, we’d like to share with you a research report published by the American Enterprise Institute entitled “Separating myth from fact about the troubles of the Postal Service,” by resident scholar Kevin R. Kosar.

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing

COVID-19: An Update on the Federal Response

Wednesday, September 23, 2020; Time: 10:00 AM

Location: G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Opening Statements

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chairman: Welcome. CDC, HHS, FDA and NIH witnesses are all seated six feet apart and therefore there is no room for the public today. The press is accessing by pool. Our witnesses are in person. The attending physician was consulted and confirmed that we did not have to wear our masks because we are six feet apart.

This will be the final hearing during my six years as Chairman of the Committee. I thank Senator Murry and her staff for their cooperation throughout that time. I also want to thank the senior committee member, Senator Mike Enzi. Senator Ted Kennedy used to say that this Committee had the broadest jurisdiction in the Senate. We also have the broadest range of views in the Senate. Most of our hearings have been bipartisan. While questioning and statements by Senators are probing, there has been a high level of courtesy by our Members. The Trump Administration’s program to develop a vaccine is on track for success. Operation Warp Speed will save lives without cutting corners. The COVID-19 vaccine will likely be produced within one year, which is amazing. As a child, I saw classmates in an iron lung, we were afraid of polio. We now have routine vaccines for children that each have taken ten years to produce. The government is developing and manufacturing vaccines at the same time. Six vaccines are being developed at the same time as the trials are going through completion. The risk is taxpayer money, but not the safety or efficacy of the vaccine. The Administration hopes to have 300 million doses by mid-2021. If all goes well, as many as 700 million doses may be available by April of next year. CDC has asked states to submit plans by October of this year regarding distribution plans. There has been a lot of back and forth as to which date the vaccines will be available for distribution. The only people who know when it will be ready are the FDA scientists. Dr. Hahn does not know when that date will be because; 1) independent experts determine that there is enough data; 2) after demonstrating safety and efficiency, the manufacturer submits; and 3) FDA then determines/confirms whether the vaccine is safe and works. Operation Warp Speed officials are optimistic that more treatments will be developed this fall and available by the end of the year. Three companies are currently doing antibody cocktail development. Testing – after initial missteps, we lost crucial weeks in identifying people with the virus. But, since then improvements have been made with rapid tests now available, such as the 15-minute test developed by Abbott which will be available in October. There are many treatments coming through the pipeline. We need to give credit to this Congress and this President for developing the vaccines before they are approved. Since March, Congress has approved $47 billion for tests and treatment. Credit is also due for previous Presidents and previous Congress’ as well. NIH investment has increased. FDA was provided authorities since 2004 about emergency use authorizations for tests. BARTA was established in 2006. Several Congresses and several Presidents have done this to help us get ready for this sprint for success. I would like for this Congress to be visionary as well. We need to be ready for the next pandemic. Senator Bill Frist testified before this Committee and said that it is not if, but when the next pandemic will come. Congress should take stock now while we are focused on this issue as we go through this difficult time. We must sustain onshore manufacturing, create stockpiles of supplies so they will be available, and strengthen the strategic national stockpile.

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) Ranking Member: I want to acknowledge the passing of Justice Ginsburg. Two hundred thousand American lives have been lost during this pandemic. Republicans are attacking health care and protections for the American people. This court appointment will tip the balance of the Supreme Court which will affect health care for all Americans. In January, I worked to help organize bipartisan groups about the COVID-19 threat. I wrote to Secretary Azar and asked what steps we were taking, specifically about diagnostic testing capacity. I asked if our country was ready; the clearest answer did not come from the Trump Administration, but rather came from my Washington constituents. People in Washington State could not get tested and when they were finally tested, waited for the results. I heard from schools about being closed, but saw nothing from the Trump Administration about confidence and process going forward. Much has changed since the early days of the crisis. Six and a half million are affected worldwide; 200,000 Americans dying and the number of people without jobs has skyrocketed. Funerals, weddings have been delayed or cancelled. President Trump continues to put politics before safety. Cases and deaths are alarmingly high. Contact tracing is not effective. We need to prepare for the upcoming flu season. President Trump is still trying to sabotage the work of our scientists. As leaders, our witnesses have a firsthand perspective on this situation. FDA has a critical role. Earlier this year, the Administration promoted hydroxychloroquine for treatment. Secretary Azar overruled FDA when he loosened oversight of lab developed tests. Secretary Azar has barred FDA from any approvals without his approval first. The Trump Administration officials have taken steps to highjack the CDC and undermine its credibility. The Administration ignored CDC scientists advising restricted access to testing which has since been reversed. The Administration took hundreds of millions from the CDC budget to fund an ad campaign. Dr. Fauci, you have been a trusted voice for decades. The Trump Administration has undermined your credibility. The President has made it clear where he stands when it comes to picking politics over public health and politics over public safety. We need to stick to the science and cannot have political interference. I have been alarmed by the political pressure our witnesses have encountered. I do appreciate very much working with Chairman Alexander over the years. Our bipartisan approach helped to get significant legislation passed. We need Republicans to come to the table and work together.

Witnesses

Anthony Fauci, MD

Director

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, MD

TESTIMONY (for all witnesses)

Robert Redfield, MD

Director

United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Atlanta, GA

Brett Giroir, MD

Assistant Secretary for Health

United States Department of Health and Human Services

Washington, DC

Stephen Hahn, MD

Commissioner of Food and Drugs

United States Food and Drug Administration

Silver Spring, MD

Full hearing video.

House Financial Services Committee Hearing

Treasury Department and Federal Reserve Oversight

Tuesday, September 22, 2020 – 10:30 a.m.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43)

Chairman

Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)

Ranking Member

Witnesses:

Secretary Steven Mnuchin

Department of Treasury

Testimony

Chairman Jerome Powell

Federal Reserve

Testimony

Members Opening Statements:

Chairman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43): This hearing is the Committee’s second quarterly oversight hearing required by the CARES Act. I welcome back Chairman Powell and Secretary Mnuchin. Since June the Coronavirus has continued and the impact as been catastrophic. We have 6.8 million cases of the virus. Families are struggling. Over a million small businesses have shut their doors. Families are looking to Washington, D.C. for leadership. However, the Trump Administration has failed the public with its handling of the virus. We need emergency rental assistance. Unpaid rent is starting to accrue. The Heroes Act which passed in May would provide vital assistance, but it is collecting dust in the Senate. I appreciate that the Federal Reserve has expanded some programs. However, I’m very concerned about the $500 billion advocated in the CARES Act to help businesses, non-profits, though much of those funds have gone unused. It has been almost six months. Secretary Mnuchin and Chairman Powell, I’m going to be blunt. This response has fallen extremely short. Your work to address this crisis won’t stop with just the stock market. I also learned today that there are 40,000 students infected with the virus and we still have people who are forcing schools to open and not have distance learning. This information was shocking to me.

Ranking Member Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10): We know that testing, treatment, and therapeutics are moving forward with great speed. The coordination between the public and private sectors is the best it is ever has been. The Federal Reserve’s response has been top notch. Secretary Mnuchin’s delivery of PPP funds has been fantastic for the American people. The Federal Reserve stood up more facilities than during the financial crisis of 2008 – A-plus for their response and where we currently are. Congress cannot find a compromise and provide a way to get through this. We need to give people relief. Democrats and Republicans need to move to the middle. I commend Secretary Mnuchin for his negotiations on behalf of the American people during this extreme political atmosphere. Thank you for being willing to negotiate, unlike Speaker Pelosi. What we saw at the end of last year was the best economy of our lifetimes. We are still in the midst of this terrible pandemic. Treatment and testing must continue to get some semblance of normal life restored. Vaccines will be coming in our near future. Secretary Mnuchin, I look forward to hearing about your economic plan to get past COVID; how to we return to the same positive position we were in. I think it is a great story to tell and a hopeful one.

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair, Al Green (D-TX-9^th): Stimulus economic impact payments must be made; the rent must be paid. The Treasury Department lacks data as to who has received their economic impact payments. We need this data, and we need to know who is being left behind. The rent must be paid; the EIE payments must be made or otherwise people are at risk of being evicted. I believe it can be done, but we need to be sure that the rent is paid.

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Ranking Member, Andy Barr (R-KY-6^th): The Treasury and the Federal Reserve have acted swiftly to keep money flowing. Since your last visit to our Committee, the economy has improved. Half of the jobs have been added back into the labor market. We are on the road to recovery. The actions you both have taken have made this possible. However, hospitality, entertainment, commercial real estate, among many other industries continue to be in trouble. I look forward to hearing your strategy for long-term economic growth.

Full Hearing Video Transcript here.

What you need to know about State Tax Revenue

Methods for on-site voting are shifting back to paper ballots

How a Supreme Court justice is nominated and confirmed

Calendar

Tuesday, September 29

10:00 a.m. House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing – White Supremacy – Police Department Infiltration.
12 noon House Financial Services Committee hearing – Lending/Payment Processing in the Fintech Age.
2:00 p.m. House Natural Resources Committee hearing – Interior Department Police Cameras.
2:00 p.m. – House Judiciary Committee Markup– Pending Legislation

Wednesday, September 30

10:00 a.m. House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing – Unsustainable Drug Prices: Testimony from our CEOs (Part I and Part II).
10:00 a.m. House Homeland Security Committee hearing – Trusted Traveler Programs Management.
10:00 a.m. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Markup of a draft bill that responds to problems with Boeing’s still-grounded 737 MAX and how it was certified by the FAA.
10:00 a.m. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing – Community Care Wait Times.
10:00 a.m. Senate Markup – Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee – Pending Business.
10:00 a.m. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing – Crossfire Hurricane Investigation Oversight.
10:00 a.m. Senate Commerce Committee hearing– NASA Missions and Programs.
10:00 a.m. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing – Sub-Saharan Africa Democratic Backsliding.
10:00 a.m. House Select Intelligence Committee Markup – Pending Business.
10:00 a.m. House Small Business Committee hearing on COVID-19’s impact on small businesses in the food system.
11:30 a.m. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing – Compound Crises/Extreme Weather – Social Injustice – Global Pandemic.
11:30 a.m. House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing – Save/Trusted Vaccine Development.
12 noon House Armed Services Committee hearing – US Defense Posture in Europe.
12 noon. House Judiciary Committee hearing – Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Review.
12 noon House Natural Resources Committee Markup – Pending Legislation.
1:00 p.m. House Appropriations Committee hearing – Indian Country COVID-19 Response.

Thursday, October 1

9:15 a.m. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing – Supply Chain Integrity.
10:00 a.m. House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing – Unsustainable Drug Prices (Part II).
10:00 a.m. House Small Business Committee hearing – Paycheck Protection Program/Economic Injury Disaster Loan Fraud.
10:00 a.m. Senate Judiciary Committee Markup – Blocking offensive Online Content/Pending Nominations.
10:00 a.m. House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing – Improving Clean Energy Access/Affordability.
10:00 a.m. House Foreign Affairs Markup – Pending Business.
10:00 a.m. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee executive session – Twitter/Google/Facebook CEO Subpoenas.
12 noon House Natural Resources Committee hearing – Reconciling Environmental Justice and Civil Rights.
1:00 p.m. House Judiciary Committee hearing – Strengthening Online Antitrust Laws
1:00 p.m. House Select Climate Crisis Committee hearing – Climate Change – Strengthening the Economy/Financial System.
2:00 p.m. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing – Women/Girls Rights in the Middle East.