WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK
- Responding to US military strikes on Syria: What is Congress’s role (CRS AUMF explainer) and will the administration release its secret 7-page opinion authorizing the action?
- S. Judiciary tees up a special counsel debate on Thursday, which will ripen if Trump removes senior DOJ officials.
- Is the government well run? OGR will look into IG-identified management problems at a Wednesday OGR hearing.
- House leg branch and FSGG approps hearings will address the very nature of how Congress and the Judiciary work (including Tuesday’s public testimony), plus there’s an opportunity to quiz OMB’s Mulvaney, who oversees federal information policy (and more).
- The FOIA Advisory Committee will vote on its recommendations on Tuesday. Read the draft report.
CONGRESSIONAL CALENDAR
Monday, April 16
- House reconvenes at 12, first vote at 6:30; Senate reconvenes at 3, first vote at 5
Tuesday, April 17 (tax day)
- Hse Floor: Tax e-filing & public access to exempt orgs filings (HR 5433) — on suspension
- Member and Public Testimony — Hse Leg Br Approps (10)
- GSA Budget — Hse FSGG Approps (10)
- Federal Reserve Semi-Annual Testimony — Hse Fin Svcs (10)
- Member Day — Hse CJS Approps (10:30)
- Internet Prioritization — Hse Commerce (10:15)
- Safeguarding Trade Secrets — Hse Jud (2)
- GAO Budget — Hse Leg Br Approps (2) (witness: Gene Dodaro)
- Deadline to submit outside witness testimony to Hse Leg Br Approps
Wednesday, April 18
- Top Management & Performance Problems ID’d by IGs — Hse Oversight(10)
- OMB Budget — Hse FSGG Approps (10) (witness: Mulvaney)
- US PTO — S Jud (10) (witness: Iancu)
- Judiciary Budget — Hse FSGG Approps (2) (witnesses: Lungstrum & Duff)
- Office of Compliance Budget — Hse Leg Br Approp (2) (watch for data breach discussion)
- 30 Anniversary of Tribal Self Governance — Sen Indian Affairs (2:30) (witness: Grundmann)
- Immigration Court System — Sen Jud (2:30) (witnesses: all stars)
- CBO Budget — Hse Leg Br Approps (3) (witness: Keith Hall)
Thursday, April 19
- Fed’l Reserve — Sen Banking (9:30)
- Special Counsel bill (S. 2644) & other markups & noms — Sen Jud (10)
Friday, April 20
LOOKING BACK:
- Committee on House Administration Committee was busy, favorably reporting the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (HR 4631) and Federal Depository Library Program Modernization Act(HR 5305) as well as holding a hearing on shared services (staff who work for multiple offices). Next stop: the House floor.
- The Office of Compliance had “astonishingly lax” data security, the Washington Post reported, publicly surfaced by the release of two Wyden letters (1, 2). A new letter is out from 1,308 former staffers calling on the Senate to advance the sexual harassment bill.
- 30 orgs wrote in opposition to advancing the nomination of Gina Haspel, the CIA director nominee who destroyed videos of torture in an apparent effort to avoid accountability, demanding a full public accounting for her actions.
- Scott Pruitt has at least 4 official email addresses, and it’s unclear whether they’re searching them all when people file FOIA requests.
- DOJ IG criticizes fmr DOJ Dep’y Dir. Andrew McCabe in a strong reportthat focuses on ‘authorized’ leaks intended to politically benefit the leaker.
- Speaker Ryan gave notice of his retirement, which may affect a bill he sponsored, the Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act (HR 4174), which contains the OPEN Government Data Act (more).
What do you think of this newsletter? We’re still working on it and want your feedback. Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly at daniel@demandprogress.org.
