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Thanks for your interest in Washington, D.C., and thanks for reading This Week in Washington.
Senator John Thune鈥檚 announcement that he was staying in the Senate was music to the ears of those who believe that Republicans can pick up a couple of seats in November鈥檚 election and regain the majority. recently interviewed Senator Thune, and we featured it in a special edition of This Week. Some people missed this important interview, so we have been asked to include it in this week鈥檚 edition.
Heard on the Hill covers subjects as diverse as a postal reform bill, a continuing resolution to keep the government open for another month while appropriators work to reach an agreement on a new budget, Supreme Court Associate Justice Breyer鈥檚 retirement, what it鈥檚 like to try to run a legislative agenda in a 50-50 Senate, and what Washington, D.C. is like two years after the start of the pandemic.
monitored the February 8th hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on protecting youth mental health. We鈥檝e also included Infographs on a few hot topics of the day and the week鈥檚 legislative calendar.
We鈥檒l be back on February 23rd for the next edition of This Week. Stay well.
Total Spectrum Managing Director
In case you missed it: Total Spectrum Spotlight — Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
Total Spectrum Spotlight brings you an exclusive interview with Sen. John Thune, the Republican Whip in the U.S. Senate and #2 in Senate Republican leadership. With so much going on – Russia threatening Ukraine, rising prices and inflation in the U.S., health mandates being imposed on businesses, worker shortages, and President Biden鈥檚 legislative agenda stalling out 鈥� hears Senator Thune鈥檚 perspectives and insights on these topics and more, plus the legislative agenda for this mid-term election year.
Heard on the Hill
By Steve Gordon, Total Spectrum Managing Partner
Senator John Thune
There is little question that Senator John Thune鈥檚 decision to remain in the U.S. Senate will be seen as one of the key political events of 2021-2022. That will be especially true should Republicans regain the Senate this November.
I have known John Thune for a very long time. He served six years in Congress, but he exploded on the national political scene when he defeated Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in 2004. Many people around the country started immediately mentioning him as a potential presidential candidate, but he preferred to percolate up in the Senate, first as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and then as the Whip 鈥� the second ranking Republican 鈥� in the Senate.
Senator Thune cares about the Senate and public policy, and he also cares about his family back in South Dakota. It was clear to many of us that he was truly conflicted. But Senator Thune announced last month that he and his family had concluded that he should continue his work in the Senate.
My colleague interviewed Senator Thune last week for Total Spectrum Spotlight, and we distributed it as a special edition of Heard on the Hill. We have been asked to circulate the interview again in this edition, and we鈥檙e pleased to do so.
Senator John Thune joins Senator John Barrasso (WY) and Senator John Cornyn (TX) as the three most likely candidates for Republican Leader or Senate Majority Leader when Senator McConnell decides it鈥檚 time.
Justice Breyer Announces his Retirement
After 27 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer recently announced his intention to retire. Progressive and liberal groups have been urging Justice Breyer to retire this year 鈥� prior to this November鈥檚 elections when Republicans might take back the Senate.
President Biden hopes to announce his choice to succeed Justice Breyer by the end of February. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Richard Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had hoped to have the confirmation process completed by Easter. But Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) announced this week that he had suffered a stroke 鈥� and in a 50-50 Senate, any absence puts the legislative schedule on a tightrope and a lifeline.
Justice Breyer鈥檚 retirement will not change the majority on the Supreme Court, so there鈥檚 the possibility that one or two Republican Senators will at least consider voting for a reasonable candidate. Candidate Biden promised to nominate an African American woman to the Supreme Court, and President Biden reaffirmed that commitment.
Congress is set to FINALLY reform the USPS
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the most significant reform of the U.S. Postal Service in two decades, and it passed with bipartisan support. A similar bill is working its way through the Senate, and it also has bipartisan support. President Biden has signaled that he will sign the bill.
The Postal Service has been in the red for twenty years, hobbled by problems of almost every possible nature. Their back was against the wall, so Congress acted by removing two financial burdens that will save the USPS over $50 billion in 10 years. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the committee that wrote the bill, put out this .
Congress Passes a Continuing Resolution
A clear majority of legislators from both sides of the aisle have figured out that no one wins and everybody loses when the federal government is closed for lack of funding. As they often say in Missouri, there鈥檚 no education in the second kick of the mule, and even less in the third or fourth.
The current continuing resolution expires on February 18. Tuesday the House passed a new continuing resolution by a vote of 272 to 162 that will keep the doors open and the lights on until March 11. Majority Leader Schumer has promised to pass a similar bill in the Senate before the current funding authority expires.
One overlooked but critical point is that Congress has been extending all year through the continuing resolution process budgets left over from the Trump Administration. The last omnibus appropriations bill that was passed by Congress was in December 2020, so the Biden Administration and the Democratic majorities in both the Senate and the House have yet to appropriate to their priorities.
Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations committee, announced Wednesday that top appropriators have crafted an agreement on the structure for a full year budget agreement.
When Will Washington Return to Normal?
Senator John McCain used to start his remarks to groups by saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to do the Lord鈥檚 work in the middle of Sodom and Gomorrah.鈥� He was kidding, but Washington, D.C. had grown from the sleepy southern town I first saw in 1978 into a constantly building and trendy city with traffic jams rivaling those found in Los Angeles.
The coronavirus pandemic changed Washington, D.C. Senate and House staffs, except for essential employees, were asked to work from home and the same was true for most private companies and associations. Restaurants and small retail stores held on as long as they could mostly through take-out orders, or they closed until their customers came back. They survived because of the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic relief programs Congress passed to support small businesses.
It has been two years since the first outbreak of COVID-19 and I was struck last week how very little has changed. There is still minimal traffic because most government employees are still working from home. I was in five restaurants last week for lunch and dinner, and of these, four had plenty of room and only a few tables full.
I was asked last fall to meet a Senate Chief of Staff at his office. The procedure at that time was that I had to text the Chief and ask him to meet me at the front door of the Senate building. I鈥檓 told that it has eased off a little this year in the Senate, but it has yet to on the House side.
A Republican Member of the House told me last week that he recently went to a hearing of his assigned Committee. He was stopped at the Committee room door and prevented from entering by Capitol Hill Police because it was designated as a 鈥榲irtual鈥� hearing.
Republican Members do not expect any change in the status of the House through the November election.
Hearing Report
By Ramona Lessen, Executive Director, Total Spectrum
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part I – An Advisory and Call to Action
Tuesday, February 8, 2022; 10:00 a.m.
To view a livestream of the hearing please .
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman
Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ranking Member
Witness:
The Honorable Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A.
Surgeon General, Office of The Secretary
US Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC
Congressional Calendar
Monday, February 7
- 2 p.m. House Rules Committee virtual on H.R. 3076, a bill to reform the postal service.
Tuesday, February 8
- 9:30 a.m. Senate Armed Services Committee on the nomination of Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla to be general and Commander of U.S. Central Command.
- 10 a.m. House Financial Services Committee virtual on stablecoin reports.
- 10 a.m. House Intelligence Defense Subcommittee on the Defense Department’s Aug. 29, 2021 strike in Kabul.
- 10 a.m. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on four ambassador nominations.
- 10 a.m. House Agriculture Farm Commodities Subcommittee virtual to review farm policy with Agriculture Undersecretary Robert Bonnie.
- 10 a.m. Senate Finance Committee on youth mental health.
- 10 a.m. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on the Log4Shell vulnerability.
- 10 a.m. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on three land and energy management nominations.
- 10 a.m. Senate HELP Committee on the effect Covid-19 had on those working with disabilities.
- 10 a.m. House Foreign Affairs Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee virtual on public education in Africa.
- 10 a.m. House Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness Subcommittee virtual on a grant program protecting houses of worship.
- 10 a.m. House Natural Resources Committee virtual on equity in environmental policy.
- 10 a.m. House Science Committee virtual on challenges to human trafficking research.
- 10 a.m. House Oversight Committee on Big Oil’s climate pledges.
- 10:30 a.m. House Energy and Commerce Committee virtual on biomedical research.
- 11 a.m. House Transportation Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee on Water Resources Development Act of 2022 proposals.
- 1 p.m. House Foreign Affairs Committee virtual of six bills, including a bill, H.R. 6552 , that would reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.
- 2 p.m. House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee on military talent management and policy.
- 2 p.m. House Veterans’ Affairs Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee virtual on disability services.
- 2 p.m. House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee virtual on challenges facing taxpayers.
- 3 p.m. Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee on corporate accountability.
Wednesday, February 9
- 9 a.m. House Oversight Government Operations Subcommittee virtual on revitalizing WMATA.
- 10 a.m. House Veterans鈥� Affairs Technology Modernization Subcommittee virtual on challenges to infrastructure modernization.
- 10 a.m. Senate Agriculture Committee on examining digital assets.
- 10 a.m. Senate Finance Committee on two Human and Health Services nominations.
- 10 a.m. Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee reviewing the Great American Outdoors Act.
- 10 a.m. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on two bills, including S. 2373, a bill to establish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy.
- 10 a.m. Senate Judiciary Committee reviewing U.S. drone strikes.
- 10 a.m. Senate Commerce Committee to consider Gigi Sohn’s nomination to be an FCC Commissioner.
- 10 a.m. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Iran.
- 10:30 a.m. House Economic Disparity Select Committee virtual on infrastructure and economic growth.
- 2:30 p.m. Joint Economic Committee virtual on older workers.
- 2:30 p.m. . Senate Foreign Relations Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism Subcommittee on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
- 2:30 p.m. Senate Banking Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Subcommittee on community development institutions.
- 3 p.m. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on three OMB and Homeland Security nominations.
- TBD. Senate HELP Committee on various nominations.
Thursday, February 10
- 9 a.m. Senate Judiciary Committee on nine judicial nominees and two bills, including S. 3538 , which would establish a National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention
- 9:30 a.m. Senate Aging Committee on improving care for people on Medicare and Medicaid.
- 10 a.m. Senate ENR Committee on clean hydrogen.
- 10 a.m. Senate HELP Committee on the health
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