This Week in Congress: Nominations & (Maybe) a $172 Billion “Minibus”

Senators will be providing their advice and consent on a large slate of nominations this week, with 12 district court judges, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, along with officials at the Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Health and Human Services up for confirmation.

Monday’s votes will be on “cloture motions” but those procedural votes could pave way for passage votes soon after, depending on whether senators grant unanimous consent to waive the 30 hours of post-cloture debate on what are expected to be relatively uncontroversial nominations.

The Senate may then move on to its final “minibus” funding package that will combine three FY2019 appropriations bills for the Departments of Homeland Security ($55 billion); State ($54.4 billion); and Commerce, Justice, and Science agencies ($62.9 billion) into a single legislative vehicle.

The passage of a fourth minibus by the Senate would mark the completion of the chamber’s initial appropriations work, although conference committee negotiations with the House and subsequent votes lay ahead.

The House will be off for the final week of its August recess and will return Tuesday, September 4th.

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 Lynn Johnson to be Assistant Secretary for Family Support at HHS Invoked 60-28.

Tuesday after 10:40am

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Lynn Johnson to be Assistant Secretary for Family Support at HHS Confirmed 67-28.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Richard Clarida to be Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve for a 4-year term Invoked 69-26.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Richard Clarida to be Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve for a 4-year term Confirmed 69-26.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Richard Clarida to be a member of the Board of Governors for the unexpired 14-year term Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Jody Hunt to be Assistant Attorney General Confirmed 72-23.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Isabel Patelunas to be Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the Treasury Department Confirmed 75-20.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Terry Moorer to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Alabama Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of R. Stan Baker to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Charles Goodwin to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma Confirmed 52-42.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Barry Ashe to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of James R. Sweeney II to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Susan Baxter to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Nancy Brasel to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota Confirmed by voice vote.

Rest of the Week

• No more votes are scheduled.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Marilyn Horan to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania Vote postponed.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of William Jung to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida Vote postponed.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Kari Dooley to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut Vote postponed.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Dominic Lanza to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona Vote postponed.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Charles Williams to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa Vote postponed.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Eric Tostrud to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota Vote postponed.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Alan Albright to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas Vote postponed.
• Cloture vote on the nomination of Robert Summerhays to be U.S. District Judge for the Western of Louisiana Vote postponed.
• Possible cloture vote on the legislative vehicle for Minibus IV: (Homeland Security; State; Commerce, Justice, and Science)

House

Out All Week

• The House will return Tuesday, September 4th.

Tell your senators how to vote and share your thoughts below!

— Eric Revell