The Week Ahead: Obama in Europe

Congress will have a busy week before Memorial Day recess, with the Senate slated to vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) controversial 2012 budget proposal, an ongoing discussion on the extension of the PATRIOT Act, and a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the vote on Ryan’s budget will take place late in the week, most likely on Thursday.

{mosads}And all eyes will be on Netanyahu’s address after he rejected several parts of President Obama’s proposal on the Middle East peace process after a long meeting at the White House Friday.

The House will take up a nearly $700 billion Pentagon authorization measure for 2012. Debate begins Tuesday and will continue Wednesday and Thursday, when a vote is expected.

Meanwhile the Obamas head to Europe for a six-day trip. They land in Dublin on Monday, head to London Tuesday for their first state visit to the United Kingdom, hit the G-8 meeting in France on Thursday and will move on to Poland on Friday.

On Thursday, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination to be ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, while his fellow cabinet members testify before Congress on other matters, including nutrition and oil prices.

Monday, May 23

Obama lands in Dublin to begin a six-day European trip. He and Michelle Obama will meet with President Mary McAleese and her husband as well Taoiseach Enda Kenny. He also will travel to Moneygall, Ireland, which is the town in Ireland from which his ancestors came from, according to the White House.

The Senate will convene at 2 p.m. to resume consideration of the PATRIOT Act Extension bill.

Reps. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) and Mike Conaway (R-Texas) will deliver remarks at 12:10 p.m. for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ spring 2011 meeting. The meeting is being held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) will deliver remarks at the conference on Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will deliver remarks on America’s fiscal future and debt reduction methods at the Bipartisan Policy Center at 11:30 a.m. The BPC is located at 1225 I St. N.W.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) holds a 2011 policy conference. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Reps. Steven Rothman (D-N.J.), Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will participate in breakout sessions at 1:45 p.m. At 4 p.m., Reps. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) and Kay Granger (R-Texas) will participate in breakout sessions. The conference is being held at the Washington Convention Center.

Netanyahu addresses the influential Jewish group in evening as do Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew will deliver remarks at the Economic Club of Washington’s May meeting. Lew’s remarks begin at 8 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel at 999 9th St.N.W.

Tuesday, May 24

The Obamas travel to London where they will be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II for a state visit. Obama will lunch with the Queen and then go to Westminster Abbey for a wreath-laying ceremony. Later in the day he’ll meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron and pay a call on Labour Party leader Ed Miliband. That evening the Queen will host a state dinner for the Obamas at Buckingham Palace.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be in London in conjunction with Obama’s visit.

Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber at 10 a.m.

Vice President Biden holds the next meeting of his deficit reduction group.

New York holds a special election for former Rep. Chris Lee’s (R-N.Y.) seat. The three-way race features Democratic nominee Kathy Hochul, Republican, Jane Corwin and Independent Jack Davis.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a hearing titled “Pain at the Pump: Policies that Suppress Domestic Production of Oil and Gas.” The hearing begins at 9 a.m. in Rayburn 2154.

The House Appropriations Committee will hold a markup on the 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, and the 2012 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The markup begins at 9:30 a.m. in Rayburn 2359.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will participate in a discussion held by the American Enterprise Institute on “America in the World.” The discussion begins at 1 p.m. at 1150 17th Street N.W.

Elizabeth Warren, the administration’s special adviser on the Consumer Financial Protection bureau, testifies before the House TARP, Financial Services, and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs Subcommittee on “Who’s Watching the Watchmen? Oversight of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.” The hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. in Rayburn 2154.

Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki will testify before the House Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee on “The Future of Japan.” The hearing begins at 2 p.m. in Rayburn 2172.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on “Al Qaeda, the Taliban and Other Extremist Groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” at 9 a.m. in Dirksen 419. National security experts will testify. Later on in the afternoon, at 2:30 p.m., the committee will meet to discuss the nomination of William Burns to be deputy secretary of state in Dirksen 419.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will participate in a discussion at the Center for American Progress on “Reassessing America’s Engagement in Afghanistan in the Wake of Osama bin Laden’s Death.” The discussion begins at 2:30 p.m. at CAP, located at 1333 H Street N.W.

Wednesday, May 25

Obama has a bilateral meeting with Cameron.  Items on the agenda include Afghanistan, counterterrorism, Iran, Libya, the global economy. After the meeting the Obamas and Camerons will attend an event honoring U.S. and U.K. service members and veterans.

Then Obama and Cameron will hold a press conference. After that, the president will deliver a speech to the U.K. Parliament.  That evening Obama will hold a dinner in the Queen’s honor at Winfield House, which is the American ambassador’s residence in London.

Michelle Obama will travel to Oxford University to meet with 35 students at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School for girls for a day-long “immersion experience” in order to highlight the importance of education.

Clinton will travel to Paris “preside over the 50th Anniversary of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting.” Attending the meeting will be German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Biden travels to Boston for a speech celebrating the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s “moon shot” speech.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) will participate in a rally on Capitol Hill at 9 a.m. in correlation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 “Small Business” summit.

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), former President Bill Clinton and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling will participate in a discussion at the Peter G. Peterson’s 2011 fiscal summit on “Solutions for America’s Future.” The event begins at 9 a.m. in the Mellon Auditorium at 1301 Constitution Ave. N.W.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled “How to Save Taxpayer Dollars: Case Studies of Duplication in the Federal Government.” U.S. Comptroller General Eugene Dodaro and others from the Office of Management and Budget will testify at the 10 a.m. hearing in Dirksen 342.

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on “The U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement” at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 215.

A yet-to-be-announced group of members of Congress will testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a hearing titled “War Powers, United States Operations in Libya and Related Legislation.” The hearing begins at 10:30 a.m. in Rayburn 2172.

The House Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “Arlington National Cemetery: An Update from the New Administration.” It begins at 11 a.m. in Cannon 334.

FBI Director Robert Mueller testifies before the House Select Intelligence Committee. The closed hearing begins at 2 p.m. in HVC-210 in the Capitol.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and others will testify before the Senate Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee on five bills that affect the health of the environment at 2:30 p.m. in Dirksen 366.

Boehner will be honored at the Boys and Girls Club of America Tim Russert Dinner. It takes pace at 6 p.m. at the J.W. Marriott.

Thursday, May 26

The Obamas travel to Deauville, France for the G8 meetings. During that time, Obama is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The G8 leaders will talk about a range of political and security issues, according to a White House briefing on the trip. This includes everything from nonproliferation, North Korea, Iran, terrorism, drug trafficking, and piracy.  This year they will also discuss the situation in Japan along with developments in the Middle East and North Africa.

The House Oversight Subcommittee will meet for a hearing on the Inspector Generals audit of the House’s 2009 financial statements. It begins at 9:30 a.m. in Longworth 1310.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination to be ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 419.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and others will testify before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee on “Food for Thought: The Role, Risks and Challenges for American Agriculture and the Next Farm Bill in Meeting the Demands of a Growing World.” The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Hart 216.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a markup of pending energy legislation at 10 a.m. in Dirksen 366.

The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 10 a.m. to hold a hearing on “The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement” in Dirksen 215.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing titled “Opening the Northeast Corridor to Private Competition for the Development of High-Speed Rail.” The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in Rayburn 2167.

The House Select Intelligence Committee will hold a markup of the Intelligence Authorization Act for the 2012 fiscal year. The markup begins at 10 a.m. in HVC-304 in the Capitol.

Friday, May 27 

Obama has a bilateral meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy. He will also meet with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. He then heads to Poland, where the heads of state of Central and Eastern Europe will be attending a summit.

— Josiah Ryan, John T. Bennett and Emily Goodin contributed to this report.