The Week Ahead: Debt ceiling D-Day

After honoring the country’s armed services over the Memorial Day weekend, Republican and Democratic House leaders will be rallying their troops over one of the most consequential votes of the year: raising the debt ceiling.

The House will take up a “clean” debt-ceiling bill, which would raise the debt limit without any accompanying spending cuts or reforms. The vote is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the bill’s sponsor and the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said that he intends for the bill to be rejected and that he does not plan to vote for his own bill.

{mosads}”[It] will allow the House to reject a clean increase in the debt limit, proving to the American people, the financial markets and the administration that we are serious about tackling our debt and deficit problems,” Camp said in a statement after introducing the legislation.

Meanwhile, President Obama is scheduled to hold separate meetings with House Republicans and Democrats. He will meet with House Republicans on Wednesday and with Democrats on Thursday to discuss budget negotiations.

The House will also vote on the resolution sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to remove the U.S. armed forces from Libya. That vote is expected to be Wednesday.

The Senate is not completely adjourned for the weeklong Memorial Day recess, but will meet on Tuesday and Friday for two pro-forma sessions. The brief sessions are to prevent Obama from making any recess appointments. Republicans had feared that the president would appoint Elizabeth Warren as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will oversee Wall Street.

On Friday, Obama will visit a Chrysler plant in Toledo, Ohio, to underscore the necessity of the automobile industry bailout two years ago. The car manufacturer paid back the federal loan that prevented it from bankruptcy.

Tuesday

The House meets at noon for morning hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes postponed until 6:30 p.m.

The House Appropriations Committee takes up the spending bill for the Food and Drug Administration. This past week, the Agriculture subcommittee voted to cut the FDA’s budget by 11.5 percent, or roughly $285 million. The hearing will take place in 2359 Rayburn at 5 p.m.

Freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a House Armed Services Committee member, will be the featured speaker during a forum at the conservative Heritage Foundation. He will be speaking about his views of what the battlefield will look like for U.S. forces in the 21st century. West is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Iraq war veteran. The event begins at 10:30 a.m.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) will speak at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund on American manufacturing. The event begins at 11 a.m.

Wednesday

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will testify before the House Financial Services Committee on “The State of the International Financial System.” The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 2128 Rayburn.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding a hearing on “Cybersecurity: Assessing the Nation’s Ability to Address the Growing Cyber Threat.” Witnesses have yet to be announced. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn.

A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold the first of a two-part hearing on “Preserving Progress: Transitioning Authority and Implementing the Strategic Framework in Iraq, Part 1.” Patricia Haslach, Iraq transition coordinator at the State Department; Christopher Crowley, senior deputy assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Middle East Bureau; and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant secretary for the Middle East at the Defense Department, will testify. The hearing will begin at 2 p.m. in 2172 Rayburn.

Thursday

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) will announce his 2012 presidential bid in New Hampshire.

A House Appropriations subcommittee will hold a hearing on the 2012 budget for the U.S. Capitol Police. Chief Phillip Morse will testify. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in H-T2 in the Capitol.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing on “Making the Gulf Coast Whole Again: Assessing the Recovery Efforts of BP and the Obama Administration After the Oil Spill.” Witnesses have yet to be announced. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn.

The House Intelligence Committee will have a closed hearing on “Israel/Palestinian Authority Update.” The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in HVC-304 in the Capitol.

The Brady Center Honors Jim and Sarah Brady. Guests include former President Clinton, journalist Sam Donaldson and actor Beau Bridges. The invitation-only event takes place at the Ronald Reagan Building at 6:30 p.m.

Friday

Obama will visit a Chrysler plant in Toledo to highlight the success of the auto bailout two years ago by discussing the car manufacturer’s repayment of the federal loan that kept the company afloat.

First lady Michelle Obama will speak to the 26 graduating seniors at Quantico Middle High School, a Department of Defense Education Activity school, at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va.

The Labor Department will release the latest unemployment numbers.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on “The American Energy Initiative: H.R. 909, A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future.” Witnesses are yet to be announced. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in 2322 Rayburn.

A House Homeland Security subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Denying Safe Havens: Homeland Security’s Efforts to Counter Threats from Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.” Witnesses have yet to be announced. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in 311 Cannon.

— Pete Kasperowicz, Peter Schroeder, Emily Goodin, John T. Bennett and Julian Pecquet contributed.