This Week in Congress: Student Debt Counseling, Natural Gas Exports, and Cutting Over 1,600 Tariffs

Congress will be getting back into the swing of things this week, as the House returns from its August recess and the Senate continues with its consideration of nominations after the long Labor Day weekend draws to a close.

The House starts its week Tuesday with votes on 10 bills related to homeland security, a motion to go to conference on the defense appropriations bill, and to send a bill reducing or suspending more than 1,600 miscellaneous tariffs to the president’s desk. Wednesday’s highlight will be a bill to require annual financial counseling for student loan borrowers rather than just entry & exit counseling, along with bills to improve the security of U.S. embassies and deterring cyber attacks by foreign nations. It’ll end the week by debating bills to exempt small scale imports or exports of liquefied natural gas from environmental reviews, and to define “crime of violence” more broadly under federal law.

The Senate will start its week Tuesday with a procedural vote on the nomination of Elad Roisman to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The rest of its schedule is to be announced.

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

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

House

Tuesday after 6:30pm

• Concurring in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 4318: Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6439: Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program Authorization Act of 2018 Passed 272-119.
• H.R. 6265: PreCheck is PreCheck Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6430: Securing the Homeland Security Supply Chain Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6374: FIT Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6459: TSA OPEN for Business Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6443: Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5869: Maritime Border Security Review Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6438: DHS Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems Coordinator Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6447: Department of Homeland Security Chief Data Officer Authorization Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6461: TSA National Deployment Force Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6400: United States Ports of Entry Threat and Operational Review Act Passed by voice vote.
• Motion to go to Conference on H.R. 6157: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019 "Minibus" Adopted by voice vote.

Wednesday after 12pm

• H.R. 1635: Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act Passed 406-4.
• H.R. 4969: Embassy Design and Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2019, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5576: Cyber Deterrence and Response Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5274: Global Electoral Exchange Act Passed by voice vote.

Thursday after 12pm

• H.R. 4606: Ensuring Small Scale LNG Certainty and Access Act Passed 260-146.
• H.R. 6691: Community Safety and Security Act of 2018 Debate only.
• Motion to go to Conference on H.R. 6147: Interior & Environment; Financial Services & General Gov't; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; and Agriculture, 2019 "Minibus" Adopted by voice vote.

Friday between 9am and 3pm

• H.R. 6691: Community Safety and Security Act of 2018 Passed 247-152, 2 present.

Senate

Tuesday after 5:30pm

• Cloture vote on the nomination of Elad Roisman to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission Invoked 83-14.

Wednesday after 12:15pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Elad Roisman to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission Confirmed 85-14.

Thursday at 1:45pm

• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Marilyn Horan to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of William Jung to be U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Florida Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Kari Dooley to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Connecticut Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Dominic Lanza to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona Confirmed 60-35.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Charles Williams to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa Confirmed 79-12.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Robert Summerhays to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Eric Tostrud to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota Confirmed by voice vote.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Alan Albright to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas Confirmed by voice vote.

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

— Eric Revell