But outside the glare of the speech, Republicans are already planning their next assault on federal spending. Tuesday and Wednesday, the House Budget Committee will mark up bills that seek to end the automatic inflation of budget items, require a macroeconomic analysis o the budget, and ensure that the congressional budget resolution has the force of law.
Republicans also plan to vote on a bill that would formally repeal an element of the 2010 healthcare law that sought to set up a voluntary long-term healthcare program. While the Obama administration agreed there was no viable way to fund the program, Obama has said he wants to keep it around just in case, so Democrats will likely oppose the GOP bill to repeal it altogether.
Aside from that, House Republicans plan to move several non-controversial bills this week. One of these would allow the use of religious symbols at military memorials, and another would install a plaque at the World War II memorial bearing the prayer President Roosevelt gave on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will follow up on recent House complaints about human rights abuses in Vietnam with a Tuesday hearing.
The Senate has little work planned, in part because of the sudden decision to drop a planned vote on the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). That decision was prompted by a nationwide protest of both people and companies to what they feared was an attempt to increase government control over website content.
Below is a closer look at the week ahead (UPDATED at 9:15 p.m., Friday):
Monday
The House meets at noon for speeches and at 2 p.m. meets to consider two bills under a suspension of the rules.
The first is H.R. 1141, the Rota Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act. This bill authorizes Interior to study the feasibility of designating certain forests on Rota, in the Northern Mariana Islands, as part of the U.S. park system.
The second is H.R. 3117, the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act. This bill extends a now-expired program allowing states to issue electronic duck stamps, which can serve as hunting permits and helps raise funds for conservation efforts.
The Senate meets at 2 p.m. for speeches, and at 4 p.m. to take up the nomination of John Gerrard to be a U.S. District Judge for Nebraska. The Senate is in the rest of the week, but had no definite plans beyond Monday.
Tuesday
The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches and noon for legislative work on five suspension bills:
H.Res. 516, expressing the sense of the House on the importance of passing a budget.
Legislation providing a short-term extension of airport and airway taxes through February 29, 2012.
H.R. 290, the War Memorial Protection Act.
H.R. 2070, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act.
H.R. 1022, the Buffalo Soldiers in the National Parks Study Act.
The House will adjourn at 5 p.m. at the latest for a security sweep in preparation for President Obama’s State of the Union speech at 9 p.m.
Wednesday
The House meets at 9 a.m. to take up the rule for H.R. 1173, which would repeal the CLASS Act in the 2010 healthcare law.
Thursday — Friday
The House is not in session.