The Week Ahead: Cut and spend

Various 2012 budget proposals and deficit-reduction strategies will once again dominate the news coming from Capitol Hill this week.

Vice President Biden will resume discussions Tuesday with top congressional Democrats and Republicans to try to come to an agreement on some budget cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. Biden led discussions last week that did not get into specifics, with the group only agreeing to another meeting this Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was expected to force a vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) budget last week to get Senate Republicans on record about whether they support the bill’s more controversial aspects, like changes to Medicare. Reid’s office, however, said that it is unlikely he will bring that legislation to the floor this week, adding that the vote will likely take place before Memorial Day.

{mosads}Instead of the Ryan budget vote, Reid is going to focus on Sen. Max Baucus’s (D-Mont.) bill that would end tax breaks to oil producers and increase tax breaks for clean-energy producers, although it’s not clear when a vote might in the offing.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) had been expected to unveil his 2012 budget resolution sometime this week. Conrad told ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) that a markup could come as early as Monday, but a committee spokesman said that was delayed because “his discussions with colleagues are continuing.”

At the same time, the Senate will swear in Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to fill the seat vacated by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), who resigned last week.

The House is slated to vote on a slew of GOP-led bills aimed at speeding up issuance of Gulf of Mexico drilling permits, and opening wide areas outside the Gulf for leasing in coming years.

Expect there to be more talk on the successful U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, especially on Tuesday, when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing on the upcoming military transition in Afghanistan.

President Obama will travel to Texas on Tuesday to deliver a speech on immigration reform. On Wednesday he’ll host “An Evening of Poetry” at the White House. And the first lady will welcome military families to the White House for a “Let’s Move!” event on Monday.

Monday, May 9

The Senate meets at 2 p.m. to swear in Heller to fill Ensign’s seat.

Obama will meet with the “heads of the Chinese strategic dialogue delegation at the White House,” according to White House press secretary Jay Carney.

First lady Michelle Obama will host a “Let’s Move!” event with military families on the South Lawn of the White House. The event will feature members of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, where a “major announcement” about military family wellness will be made, according to the White House.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) addresses The Economic Club of New York at 7 p.m. The nonpartisan group consists of top business and finance executives.

Tuesday, May 10

Obama travels to El Paso, Texas, to give a speech on immigration reform. He will then head to Austin before returning to Washington.

The president will speak at Austin City Limits Live as a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

Adm. Robert Papp Jr. testifies before a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on the Coast Guard’s budget. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 138.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the developments in upstream oil and gas technology. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 366.

Chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) Phil Angelides testifies before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on the FCIC’s final report. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 538.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on “Perspectives on Deficit Reduction: Social Security.” A list of witnesses has yet to be announced. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 215.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on the “Steps Needed for a Successful 2014 Transition in Afghanistan.” David Kilcullen, president and CEO of Caerus Associates; and Seth Jones, senior political scientist at the RAND Corp., will testify at the 10 a.m. hearing in Dirksen 419.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will meet for a hearing to review the Defense Authorization Request for 2012, as well as the Future Years Defense Program. Part of the hearing will be closed. The open hearing begins at 2:30 p.m. in Russell 232-A.

The House Rules Committee will meet to write a rule on H.R. 1231, “Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act.” The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in H-313 in the Capitol.

Wednesday, May 11

The president will hold a town-hall meeting on the economy on Wednesday morning at the Newseum in conjunction with CBS News. Bob Schieffer from “Face the Nation” and Erica Hill of “The Early Show” will co-host the event.

Obama will host “An Evening of Poetry” to celebrate “poetry and prose” in the East Room at 7 p.m. Participants include Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Common, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Aimee Mann and Jill Scott, who will “read, sing and showcase the impact of poetry on American culture,” according to the White House. Earlier in the day, the first lady will host a workshop at 2 p.m. for students to learn about poetry from the evening performers.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will give remarks at the 41st Washington Conference on the Americas, co-hosted by the U.S. Department of State and Council of the Americas. The event begins at 9:20 a.m. at the State Department.

The Senate Defense subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Coast Guard and National Reserve’s 2012 budget. Air Force, National Guard and Army and Navy Reserve leaders will testify at the 10 a.m. hearing in Dirksen 192.

The House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee holds a hearing on the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts at 9:30 a.m. in Rayburn B-308. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman will testify.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the “Peace Corps at 50.” Peace Corps alumni, supporters and officials will testify at the 9:30 a.m. hearing in Rayburn 2172.

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins testifies before the Senate Labor, HHS and Education and Related Agencies subcommittee on the NIH’s budget. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 124.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on “The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.” Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro and others testify at the 10 a.m. hearing in Dirksen 215.

The House Legislative Branch subcommittee will hold a hearing on the budget for the Government Printing Office, the Congressional Budget Office and agencies under the CBO’s jurisdiction. CBO Director Doug Elmendorf, Public Printer of the U.S. William Boarman and members of Congress will testify at the 10 a.m. hearing in H-T2 in the Capitol building.

The House Armed Services Committee will hold a markup of H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012. The markup begins at 10 a.m. in Rayburn 2118.

The House Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security subcommittee holds a hearing on the “USA PATRIOT Act: Dispelling the Myths” at 10 a.m. in Rayburn 2141.

The Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee holds a hearing on “Monetary Policy and the Debt Ceiling: Examining the Relationship Between the Federal Reserve and Government Debt” at 10 a.m. in Rayburn 2128.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and others testify before the House Water Resources and Environment subcommittee hearing on the second part of a hearing titled “EPA Mining Policies: Assault on Appalachian Jobs.” The hearing begins at 10:30 a.m. in Rayburn 2167.

Thursday, May 12

Obama will deliver remarks at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. Reid is scheduled to speak. The event begins at 7 a.m.

Wayne Clough, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, testifies before a House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee on the Smithsonian’s budget. The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. in Rayburn B-308.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing on “The Endangered Middle Class: Is the American Dream Slipping Out of Reach for American Families?” A witness list has yet to be announced for the 9:45 a.m. hearing in Dirksen 430.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairwoman Mary Schapiro and others testify before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on “Oversight of Dodd-Frank Implementation: Monitoring Systemic Risk and Promoting Financial Stability.” The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 538.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on “Oil and Gas Tax Incentives and Rising Energy Prices” at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 215.

The House Legislative Branch subcommittee will hold a hearing on the 2012 budgets for the chief administrative officer, clerk and sergeant at arms in the House of Representatives. Chief Administrative Officer Dan Strodel, House Clerk Karen Haas and House Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood testify at the 11 a.m. hearing in HC-5 in the Capitol.

There will be a joint committee hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform and House Small Business committees on “Politicizing Procurement: Will President Obama’s Proposal Curb Free Speech and Hurt Small Business?” The hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. in Rayburn 2154.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “Ten Years After 9/11: Is Intelligence Reform Working?” A witness list has yet to be announced for the 2:30 p.m. hearing in Dirksen 342.

Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson, Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer and U.S. Capitol Police Chief Phillip Morse testify before the Senate Legislative Branch Subcommittee on the budget for the Secretary of the Senate and the Capitol Police. The hearing begins at 2:30 p.m. in Dirksen 138.

Friday, May 13

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski testifies at a House Communications and Technology subcommittee hearing on “Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Process Reform.” The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. in Rayburn 2123.

Morse testifies before the House Legislative Branch Subcommittee on the Capitol Police’s 2012 budget. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in H-T2 in the Capitol building.

— Ben Geman, Alexander Bolton and Peter Schroeder contributed.

— This article was updated at 10:23 a.m.