This Week in Congress: Preventing Violence Against Women, Disaster Relief, and Speeding Up Senate Debate for Lower Tier Nominations

Lawmakers have a busy week ahead of them, as Congress will convene in a rare joint session on Wednesday to receive an address from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in addition to an already full legislative agenda.

The Senate convenes on Monday for a procedural vote and potential passage vote on a bill to provide $13.45 billion in disaster relief funding to help Americans recover from natural disasters in 2018 and 2019. Senators will also consider a resolution to change Senate precedent to shorten debate for district court judgeships and non-Cabinet-level executive branch nominations from a maximum of 30 hours to 2 hours.

The House will start its week Monday, when it’s expected to take up several bipartisan Homeland Security bills. Tuesday will feature votes on a resolution condemning the Trump administration’s support of legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and bills renaming postal facilities. The focus of the rest of the week will be on a bill that’d reauthorize and reform Violence Against Women Act programs. A resolution requiring the withdrawal of U.S. forces assisting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen may be considered.

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

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

HOUSE

Monday after 6:30pm (all suspensions)

• H.R. 1589: CBRN Intelligence Information Sharing Act of 2019, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 1590: Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2019, as amended Passed 394-7.
• H.R. 1593: CLASS Act of 2019, as amended Passed 381-18.
• H.R. 1433: DHS MORALE Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.

Tuesday after 12pm

• H.Res. 271: Condemning the Trump Administration’s Legal Campaign to Take Away Americans’ Health Care Debate only, vote postponed.
• S. 725: A bill to change the address of the postal facility designated in honor of Captain Humayun Khan Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 540: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 770 Ayrault Road in Fairport, New York, as the “Louise and Bob Slaughter Post Office" Passed 414-8.
• H.R. 829: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1450 Montauk Highway in Mastic, New York, as the “Army Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth Post Office Building” Vote postponed.

Wednesday after 11am

• Receiving a joint address to Congress from Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• H.Res. 271: Condemning the Trump Administration’s Legal Campaign to Take Away Americans’ Health Care Adopted 240-186, 1 present.
• H.R. 1585: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 Amendment votes only.

Thursday between 9am and 3pm

• H.R. 1585: Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 Passed 263-158, 1 present.
• S.J.Res. 7: Removing U.S. Forces Assisting the Saudi Coalition in Yemen War Powers Resolution Passed 247-175, 1 present.
• H.R. 829: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1450 Montauk Highway in Mastic, New York, as the “Army Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth Post Office Building” Passed 423-0.

SENATE

Monday after 5:30pm

• Cloture motion on the substitute amendment to H.R. 268: Disaster Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019 Not invoked 44-49.
• Cloture motion on H.R. 268: Disaster Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019 Not invoked 46-48.

Tuesday after 2:15pm

• Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to S.Res. 50: Improved Procedures for Nominations Resolution Not invoked 51-48.

Wednesday after 11am

• Receiving a joint address to Congress from Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Jeffrey Kessler to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce Invoked 95-3.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Jeffrey Kessler to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce Confirmed by voice vote.
• Overruling the judgment of the chair that post-cloture debate for non-Cabinet nominations is 2 hours Overruled 48-51.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Roy Altman to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida Invoked 66-33.
• Overruling the judgment of the chair that post-cloture debate for non-Cabinet nominations is 2 hours Overruled 48-51.

Thursday

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Roy Altman to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida Confirmed 52-44.
• Cloture motion on the nomination of Mark Calabria to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency for a term of 5 years Invoked 53-46.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Mark Calabria to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency for a term of 5 years Confirmed 52-44.

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

— Eric Revell