This Week in Congress: Providing Relief to Minorities Targeted for Genocide by ISIS & Reducing Earthquake Hazards

Congress is set to return from its Thanksgiving recess for the second week of its lame-duck session, with the House expected to take up several foreign policy bills and the Senate likely to spend the bulk of its week on nominations.

The Senate starts its week Monday with a procedural vote on the nomination of Stephen Vaden to be the Dept. of Agriculture’s general counsel. A confirmation vote will likely be held later in the week. While the rest of the week’s schedule is yet to be announced, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has taken procedural steps to set up consideration of the nominations of the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a circuit judge, a district judge, and a deputy secretary of commerce.

The House convenes on Tuesday with votes expected on a number of bills, including reauthorizations of both the Coast Guard and the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, and legislation to promote economic cooperation with Mexico. Bills to provide emergency relief to religious & ethnic minorities targeted for genocide by ISIS in Iraq & Syria, and to curb the destabilization of Iraq by Iran will also be on Tuesday’s schedule. The rest of the week’s docket includes 21 relatively uncontroversial bills (11 of which rename post offices), but that could change as more bills could be added to the agenda.

Check here throughout the week to see the vote results and updates to the schedule.

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

Senate

Monday after 5:30pm

• Cloture vote on the nomination of Stephen Vaden to be General Counsel of the Dept. of Agriculture Invoked 49-45.

Tuesday after 12:15pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Stephen Vaden to be General Counsel of the Dept. of Agriculture Confirmed 53-46.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Karen Kelley to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce Invoked 62-37.

Wednesday after 12:15pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Karen Kelley to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce Confirmed 62-38.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Thomas Farr to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina Invoked 51-50 (VP Pence breaking the tie).
• S.J.Res. 54: Yemen War Powers Resolution Discharged 63-37.

Thursday after 10am

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Thomas Farr to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina Vote postponed.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Jonathan Kobes to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circuit Invoked 50-49 (VP Pence breaking the tie).
• Cloture vote on the nomination Kathleen Kraninger to be Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for a term of five years Invoked 50-49.
• H.R. 7187: National Flood Insurance Program Further Extension Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.

House

Tuesday after 6:30pm (all suspensions)

• H.R. 390: Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4591: Preventing Iranian Destabilization of Iraq Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• S. 140: Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• S. 1768: National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 1567: United States-Mexico Economic Partnership Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5273: Global Fragility and Violence Reduction Act of 2018 Passed 376-16.
• H.R. 6207: Democratic Republic of the Congo Democracy and Accountability Act of 2018, as amended Passed 374-11.
• H.R. 4254: Women in Aerospace Education Act Passed by voice vote.

Wednesday after 12pm

• H.R. 7164: To add Ireland to the E-3 nonimmigrant visa program, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6753: Strengthening the Health Care Fraud Prevention Task Force Act of 2018 as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 2422: Action for Dental Health Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6032: State of Modern Application, Research, and Trends of IoT Act Passed by voice vote.

Thursday after 12pm

• H.R. 7187: National Flood Insurance Program Further Extension Act of 2018 Passed 350-46.
• H.R. 3121: All-American Flag Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3154: Inspector General Access Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5759: 21st Century IDEA, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 2846: Federal Agency Customer Experience Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6777: Settlement Agreement Information Database Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6901: Federal CIO Authorization Act of 2018, as amended Vote postponed.

Friday between 9am and 3pm

• H.R. 88: Retirement, Savings, and Other Tax Relief Act of 2018 Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6901: Federal CIO Authorization Act of 2018, as amended Passed 391-0.
• H.R. 4326: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1211 Towanda Avenue in Bloomington, Illinois, as the “Sgt. Josh Rodgers Post Office”, as amended Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6655: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 44160 State Highway 299 East Suite 1 in McArthur, California, as the “Janet Lucille Oilar Post Office” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6831: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 35 West Main Street in Frisco, Colorado, as the “Patrick E. Mahany, Jr., Post Office Building” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6838: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 128 East Carlisle Street in Marion, Kentucky, as the “Ollie M. James Post Office Building” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1210: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 122 W. Goodwin Street, Pleasanton, Texas, as the “Pleasanton Veterans Post Office”
• H.R. 1211: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 400 N. Main Street, Encinal, Texas, as the “Encinal Veterans Post Office” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 5412: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 25 2nd Avenue in Brentwood, New York, as the “Army Specialist Jose L. Ruiz Post Office Building” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6216: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3025 Woodgate Road in Montrose, Colorado, as the “Sergeant David Kinterknecht Post Office” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6217: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 241 N 4th Street in Grand Junction, Colorado, as the “Deputy Sheriff Derek Geer Post Office Building” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6248: Frank Leone Post Office Act Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6621: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 530 East Main Street in Johnson City, Tennessee, as the “Major Homer L. Pease Post Office” Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6628: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4301 Northeast 4th Street in Renton, Washington, as the “James Marshall 'Jimi' Hendrix Post Office Building” Vote postponed.

Tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills and share your thoughts below!

— Eric Revell