A closer look at next week … Spending, Syria, ObamaCare

As of Friday, House leaders had not released a text of their proposal. But Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) released a schedule that said a vote will happen on a yet-to-be written bill.

{mosads}It’s also not clear how long the short-term spending resolution will last. A three-month resolution, which is in the ballpark of what is expected, would give Congress time to work out a debt-ceiling deal in the fall without worrying about a government shutdown.

The House will also hear more discussion on the complex issue Syria, but could delay action until the Senate has approved (or rejected) a Syria resolution. The Senate’s resolution, S.J.Res. 21, would limit military action to 90 days and prohibit ground troops, although it would also authorize the Obama administration to take steps to shift the momentum of the civil war.

Opponents of the resolution seemed to gain ground this week. In response, Vice President Biden scheduled a Sunday night meeting with several senators in a bid to convince them to support the resolution.

But Senate passage is by no means assured, and it looks bleak in the House. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has tried to make the case for weeks about the need to strike Syria, will get another chance at a Tuesday hearing with the House Armed Services Committee.

Another question is whether members will consider the Senate’s language or take up their own proposal (or possibly not vote at all, if the votes aren’t there). Some Republicans are known to be working on language that could be backed by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

At the same time, one member who is working on the language has indicated that he supports language authorizing a forceful military strike, which would go far beyond what many other House members want.

As the Syria debate rages, House Republicans will still find time to vote on a bill blocking ObamaCare subsidies to people who need help buying health insurance. The GOP bill is a reaction to the administration’s decision not to verify the eligibility of people receiving these subsidies, and it would require a verification system to be put into place before subsidies are given.

Consideration of this bill is likely to add a heavy dose of partisanship into a week that will likely lead to more interesting splits among both parties on the question of Syria.

Below is a more detailed look at the week ahead:

Monday

The House meets at 2 p.m., and plans to take up two suspension bills:

— H.R. 2052, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act, requiring an interagency report on ways to increase foreign direct investment in the United States, and

— H.R. 2844, the Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act, consolidating current FCC reporting requirements.

The Senate starts at 2 p.m., and after likely floor remarks from senators on Syria and other topics, will consider two nominations.

They are Valerie Caproni and Vernon Broderick, who have both been nominated as U.S. district judges for the Southern District of New York. Senators are expected to vote on these nominations at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday

The House meets at noon, and will consider eight more suspension bills:

— H.R. 1155, the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Reform Act,

— H.R. 2747, the Streamlining Claims Processing for Federal Contractor Employees Act, giving the Department of Labor responsibility for paying Davis-Bacon wage adjustment claims,

— H.R. 1891, the Science Laureates of the United States Act, creating a Science Laureate of the United States, an expert in the field who would “inspire future scientists,”

— S. 130, the Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act, conveying land to a recreation district in Wyoming,

— S. 157, the Denali National Park Improvement Act,

— S. 304, the Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act, conveying land to Mississippi,

— S. 256, amending public law related to the Northern Mariana Islands, providing parity with Guam, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa, and

— S. 459, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act, modifying the boundary of a South Dakota historic site.

The Senate is in for the rest of the week and is expected to be working on the joint resolution authorizing the use of military force against Syria, S.J.Res. 21.

The resolution under consideration would prohibit the use of ground troops in Syria, allow for military action for 90 days at the most, and would let the Obama administration pursue policies to “change the momentum on the battlefield in Syria,” language proposed by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.).

Wednesday-Thursday

The House will consider a short-term spending resolution, which had not yet been introduced as of Friday afternoon.

Members will also consider H.R. 2775, which would prohibit the federal government from paying out any subsidies to sign up for health insurance under the ObamaCare exchanges until a process is set up to test the eligibility of subsidy recipients.

The House Rules Committee is expected to approve a rule for this bill on Tuesday, allowing for consideration Wednesday.

House leaders said members could also consider a Syria resolution, although a vote on this issue may take place later in the month.

Friday

The House has no votes planned, and the Senate will likely be out.