This Week in Congress: National Defense, Banking Reform & the Right to Try

Defense spending and veterans will be the focus of Congress’s last work week before the Memorial Day recess, but that’s not all that lawmakers will be working on this week.

The House is set to address a slate of 14 bills related to veterans’ benefits on Monday. The rest of the work week will feature votes on the annual defense spending authorization, a bill reforming banking rules for small banks, and give terminally ill patients the right to try experimental treatments. No votes are expected on Friday.

The Senate will start its week by taking up the nomination of Dana Biaocco to be a Commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Later in the week it will likely vote on a bill that would establish the Veterans Affairs Community Care Program and modernize VA infrastructure.

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. 4830: SIT-REP Act, as amended Passed 382-0.
• H.R. 3832: Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention Act, as amended Passed 377-2.
• H.R. 4958: Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 1972: VA Billing Accountability Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3642: Military SAVE Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4334: Improving Oversight of Women Veterans’ Care Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4245: Veterans’ Electronic Health Record Modernization Oversight Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5215: Veterans Affairs Purchase Card Misuse Mitigation Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5418: Veterans Affairs Medical-Surgical Purchasing Stabilization Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5044: Service-Disabled Veterans Small Business Continuation Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4451: Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2018, as amended Passed 377-1.
• S. 1282: A bill to redesignate certain clinics of the Department of Veterans Affairs located in Montana Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3663: To designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Huntington, West Virginia, as the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3946: To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Statesboro, Georgia, the “Ray Hendrix Veterans Clinic” Passed by voice vote.

Tuesday after 12pm

• S. 204: Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2017 Passed 250-169.
• S. 2155: Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act Passed 258-159.
• H.R. 5682: FIRST STEP Act Passed 360-59.
• S. 292: Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.Con.Res. 113: Authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5515: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Amendments only.)

Wednesday after 12pm

• H.R. 5515: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Amendments only.)

Thursday after 9am

• H.R. 5515: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 Passed 351-66.

Friday

• No votes are expected.

Senate

Monday after 5:30pm

• Cloture vote on the nomination of Dana Biaocco to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission Invoked 49-45.

Tuesday after 12pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Dana Biaocco to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission Confirmed 50-45.
• Cloture vote on S. 2372: VA MISSION Act Invoked 91-4.

Wednesday

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Brian Montgomery to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Confirmed 74-23.
• S. 2372: VA MISSION Act Passed 92-5.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Jelena McWilliams to be Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a term of five years Invoked 72-25.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Jelena McWilliams to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a term of five years Invoked 73-23.

Thursday after 1:45pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Jelena McWilliams to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a term of five years Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Jelena McWilliams to be Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a term of five years Confirmed 69-24.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of James Evans to be Ambassador to Luxembourg Invoked 49-42.

You can tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills using the "Take Action" button!

— Eric Revell