This Week in Congress: Rejecting a Carbon Tax, Plus Funding for the EPA, IRS & Public Lands

Congress is set to take up another “minibus” funding package this week, with the House to take up a $59 billion bill that’d fund agencies managing public lands, the EPA, IRS, and financial regulators.

The House begins its week Monday with a slate of 24 relatively uncontroversial bills under the fast-track suspension of the rules process. That includes legislation to make it easier for constituents to authorize their congressional offices to engage federal agencies on their behalf and ja bill to make all reports mandated by Congress available on a public website. The rest of the week the House will consider a $59 billion funding package for public lands, along with federal environmental and financial agencies, a resolution expressing that a carbon tax would hurt the U.S. economy, and another 14 suspension bills.

The Senate starts its week off Monday with a confirmation vote on the nomination of Scott Stump to be Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the Dept. of Education. Its schedule for the rest of the week is to be announced, although it may take up several nominations prepped for consideration last week, including those of Randal Quarles to continue serving on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and two prospective circuit court judges.

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. 3076: CASES for Constituents Act of 2017, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4631: Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, as amended Vote postponed.
• H.R. 1376: Electronic Message Preservation Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5415: GAO-IG Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5846: Promoting Flood Risk Mitigation Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 66: Route 66 Centennial Commission Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• S. 490: To reinstate and extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project involving the Gibson Dam Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5333: Over-the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5554: Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• S. 899: Veterans Providing Healthcare Transition Improvement Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3555: Exchange Regulatory Improvement Act, as amended Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6177: Developing and Empowering our Aspiring Leaders Act, as amended Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6319: Expanding Investment in Small Businesses Act Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6320: Promoting Transparent Standards for Corporate Insiders Act Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6321: Investment Adviser Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6322: Enhancing Multi-Class Stock Disclosures Act, as amended Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6323: National Senior Investor Initiative Act of 2018, as amended Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 6324: Middle Market IPO Underwriter Cost Act, as amended Added to S. 488.
• H.R. 3906: Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4446: To amend the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission Act to extend the expiration date of the Commission, and for other purposes Passed by voice vote.
• S. 2734: To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 1300 Victoria Street in Laredo, Texas as the “George P. Kazen Federal Building and United States Courthouse” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5772: To designate the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas as the “J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Mary Lou Robinson United States Courthouse” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3460: To designate the United States courthouse located at 323 East Chapel Hill Street in Durham, North Carolina as the “John Hervey Wheeler United States Courthouse”, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 2979: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 390 West 5th Street in San Bernardino, California, as the “Jack H. Brown Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3230: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 915 Center Avenue in Payette, Idaho, as the “Harmon Killebrew Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• S. 2692: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4558 Broadway in New York, New York, as the “Stanley Michels Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4407: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3s101 Rockwell Street in Warrenville, Illinois, as the “Corporal Jeffery Allen Williams Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4890: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9801 Apollo Drive in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, as the “Wayne K. Curry Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4946: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1075 North Tustin Street in Orange, California, as the “Specialist Trevor A. Win'E Post Office” Passed 368-0.
• H.R. 4960: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 511 East Walnut Street in Columbia, Missouri, as the “Spc. Sterling William Wyatt Post Office Building” Passed 368-0.
• H.R. 5238: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1234 Saint Johns Place in Brooklyn, New York, as the “Major Robert Odell Owens Post Office” Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5504: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4801 West Van Giesen Street in West Richland, Washington, as the “Sergeant Dietrich Schmieman Post Office Building” Passed by voice vote.
• S. 931: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4910 Brighton Boulevard in Denver, Colorado, as the “George Sakato Post Office” Passed by voice vote.

Tuesday after 12pm

• H.R. 6147: Interior & Environment, Financial Services & General Government Appropriations, 2019 Amendment votes only.
• S. 488: JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018, as amended Passed 406-4.
• H.R. 3030: Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018, as amended Passed 406-5.
• S. 717: POWER Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4819: DELTA Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5105: BUILD Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4989: Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act Passed 412-0.
• H.R. 5480: Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4645: East Rosebud Creek Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 1037: To authorize the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes, as amended Vote postponed.
• H.R. 3777: Juab County Conveyance Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4032: Gila River Indian Community Federal Rights-of-Way, Easements and Boundary Clarification Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.Res. 995: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Nation now faces a more complex and grave set of threats than at any time since the end of World War II, and that the lack of full, on-time funding related to defense activities puts servicemen and servicewomen at risk, harms national security, and aids the adversaries of the United States Passed by voice vote.
• H.Res. 996: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Marine Corps faces significant readiness challenges and that budgetary uncertainty impedes the Corps’ ability to meet ongoing and unexpected national security threats, putting United States national security at risk Passed by voice vote.
• H.Res. 998: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Navy’s total readiness remains in a perilous state due to high operational demands, increased deployment lengths, shortened training periods, and deferred maintenance all while the Navy is asked to “do more with less” as financial support for critical areas waned in the era of sequestration and without consistent Congressional funding Passed by voice vote.

Wednesday after 12pm

• H.R. 6147: Interior & Environment, Financial Services & General Government Appropriations, 2019 Amendment votes only.
• H.Res. 990: Supporting the officers and personnel who carry out the important mission of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as amended Passed 244-35, 133 present.
• H.R. 1037: To authorize the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, and for other purposes, as amended Passed 414-0.
• Motion to go to conference on H.R. 2: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 Agreed 392-20.

Thursday between 9am and 3pm

• H.R. 6147: Interior & Environment, Financial Services & General Government Appropriations, 2019 Passed 217-199.
• H.Con.Res. 119: Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy Adopted 229-180, 2 present.

Senate

Monday after 5:30pm

• Voting on the confirmation of Scott Stump to be Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the Dept. of Education Confirmed 85-0.

Tuesday after 11:45am

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of James Blew to be Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation, & Policy Development at the Dept. of Education Confirmed 50-49.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Randal Quarles to be a Member of the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors Invoked 66-33.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Randal Quarles to be a Member of the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors Confirmed 66-33.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Andrew Oldham to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit Invoked 50-49.

Wednesday after 2pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Andrew Oldham to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit Confirmed 50-49.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Ryan Bounds to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit Invoked 50-49.

Thursday

• Possible confirmation vote on the nomination of Ryan Bounds to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit

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

— Eric Revell