By Avelino Maestas

This week in Congress, Democrats are looking at cutting a deal with President Bush over the Columbia Free Trade Agreement and the Senate will hold new hearings on global warming legislation hearings on Earth Day. Meanwhile, a new battle for extending Iraq War funding looms on the horizon.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [3] (D-Calif.) is considering what to do about a trade agreement with Colombia [4]. She pressed the House to adopt a rule change earlier this month that prevents President Bush from requiring a vote on the agreement. Now, Democrats are investigating potential deals involving the trade agreement, while the White House has asked that Pelosi change her mind.

Some Democrats have proposed exchanging reworked trade adjustment assistance [5] for a vote on the FTA. Others have suggested a deal for the reform of the Foreign Service Intelligence Act (FISA) [6] or an expanded State Children’s Health Insurance Program [7].

Read the rest of the blog for more news and complete Senate and House hearing schedules for the week.

A standoff also looms over war funding [8] for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congress is set to debate $108 billion for the rest of 2008, with another $70 billion in Pentagon requests for 2009 also on the horizon, and Democratic leaders will probably tie domestic programs—specifically, extended unemployment benefits—to any defense cash.

Following calls by President Bush to voluntarily reduce carbon emissions, the Senate Finance Committee this week will hear testimony on the taxation implications of cap-and-trade programs, which place limits on carbon emissions but also gives credits to organizations that produce carbon lower levels. Those credits can then be purchased or traded in a market-system.

The Senate Environment Committee last year approved legislation—America's Climate Security Act of 2007 [9]—to establish a cap-and-trade program, and the full chamber is expected to begin debate on the measure in early June. President Bush has opposed such a program of mandatory emissions caps, and prefers a technology-based approach. He’ll face pressure to sign any climate legislation approved in Congress this year, which many see as more favorable to business than anything that will come during the next administration.

Hearings Schedules:
April 22, 2008

Joint Conference Committee

• Joint Conference Committee
  Meeting of conferees on H.R.2419, to provide for the continuation of agricultural programs through fiscal year 2012. Time to be announced, Room to be announced.

Senate

• Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs [10]
  To hold hearings to examine U.S. credit markets, focusing on the role of the credit rating agencies. 10:00 a.m. [SD-538]
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies [11]
  To hold hearings to examine the future of the internet. 10:00 a.m. [SR-253]
• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection Subcommittee [12]
  To hold hearings to examine international deforestation and climate change. 10:30 a.m. [SD-419]
• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations [12]
  Business meeting to consider H.R.3320, to provide assistance for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland, S.Con.Res.74, honoring the Prime Minister of Ireland, Bertie Ahern, for his service to the people of Ireland and to the world and welcoming the Prime Minister to the United States, S.Res.494, expressing the sense of the Senate on the need for Iraq's neighbors and other international partners to fulfill their pledges to provide reconstruction assistance to Iraq, protocol of Amendments to the Convention on the International Hydrographic Organization done at Monaco on April 14, 2005 (Treaty Doc.110-09), and any pending nominations.. 2:15 p.m. [S-116, Capitol]
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies [11]
  To hold hearings to examine the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, focusing on a recent report on moving passengers and freight into the future. 2:30 p.m. [SR-253]
• Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee [13]
  To hold hearings to examine S.934 and H.R. 1374, bills to amend the Florida National Forest Land Management Act of 2003 to authorize the conveyance of an additional tract of National Forest System land under that Act, S.2833, to provide for the management of certain public land in Owyhee County, Idaho, and S.2834, to establish wilderness areas, promote conservation, and improve public land in Washington County, Utah. 2:30 p.m. [SD-366]
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence [14]
  To hold closed hearings to examine certain intelligence matters. 2:30 p.m. [SH-219]

House

• House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense/Select Intelligence Oversight Panel [15]
  Hearing on National Security Agency, 5 p.m., H-140 Capitol.
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations [16]
  Hearing entitled ``FDA's Foreign Drug Inspection Program: Weaknesses Place Americans at Risk,'' 11 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.
• House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security [17]
  Hearing on H.R. 4109, Prison Abuse Remedies Act of 2007, 4:30 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Rules [18]
  To consider the following bills: H.R. 5819, SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act; and H.R. 2830, Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007, 5 p.m., H-313 Capitol.

April 23, 2008

Senate

• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations [12]
  To hold hearings to examine the crisis in Darfur. 9:30 a.m. [SD-419]
• Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs [19]
  To hold an oversight hearing to examine an update on Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense cooperation and collaboration. 9:30 a.m., [SR-418]
• Senate Committee on the Judiciary [20]
  To hold hearings to examine National Security Letters, focusing on the need for greater accountability and oversight. 10:00 a.m. [SD-226]
• Senate Committee on Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee [21]
  To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2009 for the Missile Defense Agency. 10:30 a.m. [SD-192]
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies [11]
  To hold hearings to examine phantom traffic. 2:30 p.m. [SR-253]
• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee [12]
  To hold hearings to examine the crisis in Tibet, focusing on a path to peace.
  2:30 p.m. [SD-419]
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs [22]
  To hold hearings to examine the nomination of Nanci E. Langley, of Virginia, to be a Commissioner of the Postal Regulatory Commission. 2:30 p.m. [SD-342]
• Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, National Parks Subcommittee [13]
  To hold hearings to examine S.662, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study to evaluate resources at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Brunswick, Maine, to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit of the National Park System, S.827, to establish the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area in the States of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, S.923 and H.R.1528, bills to amend the National Trails System Act to designate the New England National Scenic Trail, S.956, to establish the Land Between the Rivers National Heritage Area in the State of Illinois, S.2073, to amend the National Trails System Act relating to the statute of limitations that applies to certain claims, S.2513, to modify the boundary of the Minute Man National Historical Park, S.2604, to establish the Baltimore National Heritage Area in the State of Maryland, S.2804, to adjust the boundary of the Everglades National Park, H.R.53, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a long-term lease with the Government of the United States Virgin Islands to provide land on the island of Saint John, Virgin Islands, for the establishment of a school, and H.R.1483, to amend the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of1996 to extend the authorization for certain national heritage areas. 3:00 p.m. [SD-366]

House

• House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies [15]
  Hearing on Department of Housing and Urban Development--Status of Project-Based Section 8 Program, 10 a.m., and 1 p.m., 2358-A Rayburn.
• House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations [23]
  Hearing on challenges associated with achieving full dental readiness in the reserve component, 2:30 p.m., 2212 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections [24]
  Hearing on Improving Workplace Safety: Strengthening OSHA Enforcement of Multi-Site Employers, 10:30 a.m., 2175 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Financial Services [25]
  Hearing to consider the following H.R. 5818, Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008; and pending Committee business, 10 a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs [26]
  Hearing on Foreign Assistance Reform in the Next Administration: Challenges and Solutions, 9:30 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment [26]
  Hearing on A New Beginning for the U.S.-South Korea Strategic Alliance, 2 p.m., 2172 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Europe [26]
  Hearing on the Bucharest Summit and the Way Forward for NATO, 1 p.m., 2200 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Homeland Security [27]
  Hearing entitled ''Moving Beyond the First Five Years: Improving the Functionality, Governance, and Accountability of the Department of Homeland Security,'' 10 a.m., 311 Cannon.
• House Committee on the Judiciary [17]
  Oversight hearing on the FBI, 10:15 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Natural Resources [28]
  Hearing to consider H.R. 2801, Izembek and Alaska Peninsula Refuge and Wilderness Enhancement and King Cove Safe Access Act, 11 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
• House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans [28]
  Hearing to mark up the following bills: H.R. 21, Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act; H.R. 2964, Captive Primate Safety Act; H.R. 5534, Bear Protection Act of 2008; and H.R. 5618, National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2008, 2 p.m., 1324 Longworth.
• House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water and Power [28]
  Hearing to mark up the following bills: H.R. 2649, To make amendments to the Reclamation Project Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992; H.R. 3323, Goleta Water Distribution System Conveyance Act of 2007; and H.R. 4841, Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act, 2 p.m., 1334 Longworth.
• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform [29]
  Hearing on Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence, 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives [29]
  Hearing on Electronic Communications Preservation Act, 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Science and Technology [30]
  Hearing on Opportunities and Challenges for Nuclear Power, 10 a.m., 2318 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Small Business, Subcommittee on Regulations, Health Care and Trade [31]
  Hearing entitled ``Minority and Hispanic Participation in the Federal Workforce and the Impact on the Small Business Community,'' 12 p.m., 1539 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Aviation [32]
  Hearing on the Reauthorization of the National Transportation Safety Board, 2 p.m., 2167 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroad, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials [32]
  Hearing on Rail Capacity, 10 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity [33]
  Hearing to mark up pending business, 1 p.m., 340 Cannon.
• House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Health [33]
  Hearing to mark up the following bills: H.R. 2790, To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services within the office of the Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs for Health; H.R. 3819, Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act of 2007; H.R. 5729, Spina Bifida Health Care Program Expansion Act; H.R. 5554, Veterans Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Treatment Act of 2008; and a Construction Authorization measure, 2:30 p.m., 334 Cannon.
• House Committee on Ways and Means [34]
  Hearing on Clearing the Disability Backlog, 10 a.m., 1100 Longworth.
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence [35]
  Hearing on Fiscal Year 2009 Budget--Human Capital, 1 p.m., H-405 Capitol.

April 24, 2008

Senate

• Senate Committee on Indian Affairs [36]
  Business meeting to consider pending calendar business; to be immediately followed by an oversight hearing to examine recommendations for improving the federal acknowledgment process. 9:00 a.m. [SD-562]
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security Subcommittee [22]
  To hold hearings to examine addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions, focusing on policy options for the U.S. and its allies. 9:30 a.m. [SD-342]
• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations [12]
  To hold hearings to examine implementing smart power, focusing on setting an agenda for national security reform. 9:30 a.m. [SD-419]
• Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions [37]
  To hold hearings to examine the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on its ability to keep America's families safe. 9:30 a.m. [SD-106]
• Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs [10]
  To hold hearings to examine U.S. credit markets, focusing on the U.S. regulatory framework for assessing sovereign investments. 10:00 a.m. [SD-538]
• Senate Finance Committee [38]
  To hold hearings to examine tax aspects of a cap-and-trade system. 10:00 a.m. [SD-215]
• Senate Committee on the Judiciary [20]
  Business meeting to consider S.2533, to enact a safe, fair, and responsible state secrets privilege Act, S.702, to authorize the Attorney General to award grants to State courts to develop and implement State courts interpreter programs, S.2840, to establish a liaison with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to expedite naturalization applications filed by members of the Armed Forces and to establish a deadline for processing such applications, S.Res.511, recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen, H.Con.Res.292, honoring Margaret Truman Daniel and her lifetime of accomplishments, S.Res.515, commemorating the life and work of Dith Pran, and the nominations of Michael G. McGinn, to be United States Marshal for the District of Minnesota, Ralph E. Martinez, of Florida, to be a Member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States, both of the Department of Justice, Mark S. Davis, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, David Gregory Kays, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri, and Stephen N. Limbaugh, Jr., to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. 10:00 a.m. [SD-226]
• Senate Committee on Appropriations, Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee [21]
  To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2009 for military construction. 10:00 a.m. [SD-124]
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies [11]
  Business meeting to consider S.2688, to improve the protections afforded under Federal law to consumers from contaminated seafood by directing the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program, in coordination with other appropriate Federal agencies, to strengthen activities for ensuring that seafood sold or offered for sale to the public in or affecting interstate commerce is fit for human consumption, S.J.Res.28, disapproving the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission with respect to broadcast media ownership, S.2607, to make a technical correction to section 3009 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, S.2507, to address the digital television transition in border states, H.R.3985, to amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Transportation to register a person providing transportation by an over-the-road bus as a motor carrier of passengers only if the person is willing and able to comply with certain accessibility requirements in addition to other existing requirements, H.R.802, to amend the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships to implement MARPOL Annex VI, S.2657, to require the Secretary of Commerce to prescribe regulations to reduce the incidence of vessels colliding with North Atlantic right whales by limiting the speed of vessels, S.2482, to repeal the provision of title 46, United States Code, requiring a license for employment in the business of salvaging on the coast of Florida, the nomination of Robert A. Sturgell, of Maryland, to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and certain promotion lists in the U.S. Coast Guard. 10:30 a.m. [SR-253]
• Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee [20]
  To hold hearings to examine the Delta-Northwest airlines merger. 2:00 p.m. [SD-226]
• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations [12]
  To hold hearings to examine international debt, focusing on building relief initiatives. 2:00 p.m. [SD-419]
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee [22]
  To hold hearings to examine reforming export licensing agencies for national security and economic interests, focusing on the structure of the Federal government's agencies that are responsible for licensing controlled exports, the process in place for licensing, how the structures help or hinder their decision making for licenses, human capital challenges of the export control bureaucracy, and the recommendations for improving the export control processes and personal. 2:00 p.m. [SD-342]
• Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Water and Power Subcommittee [13]
  To hold hearings to examine S.2680, to amend the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 to require the Secretary of the Interior to take certain actions to address environmental problems associated with the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel in the State of Colorado, S.2805, to direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to assess the irrigation infrastructure of the Rio Grande Pueblos in the State of New Mexico and provide grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, the Rio Grande Pueblos to repair, rehabilitate, or reconstruct existing infrastructure, S.2814, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water Authority for the planning, design, and construction of the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System, H.R.29, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to construct facilities to provide water for irrigation, municipal, domestic, military, and other uses from the Santa Margarita River, California, H.R.1803, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study to design and construct a four reservoir intertie system for the purposes of improving the water storage opportunities, water supply reliability, and water yield of San Vicente, El Capitan, Murray, and Loveland Reservoirs in San Diego County, California in consultation and cooperation with the City of San Diego and the Sweetwater Authority, and H.R.123, to authorize appropriations for the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund. 2:15 p.m. [SD-366]
• Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies, Science, Technology, and Innovation Subcommittee [11]
  To hold hearings to examine national nanotechnology, focusing on charting the course for reauthorization. 2:30 p.m. [SR-253]
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence [14]
  To hold closed hearings to examine certain intelligence matters. 2:30 p.m. [SH-219]

House

• >House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense [15]
  Hearing on Biological Countermeasures and Threats, 10 a.m., H-140 Capitol.
• House Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities, and the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education of the Committee on Science [23]
  Joint hearing on the role of the social and behavioral sciences in national security, 9 a.m., 2118 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Education and Labor [24]
  Hearing on Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens, 10 a.m., 2175 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health [16]
  Hearing on Food and Cosmetic Provisions of the Food and Drug Administration Globalization--proposed measures, 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Financial Services [25]
  Hearing to consider the following bills: H.R. 5830, FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act of 2008; and H.R. 5829, Public Housing Asset Management Improvement Act of 2008, 10 a.m., 2128 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight [26]
  Hearing on War Powers for the 21st Century: The Executive Branch Perspective, 2 p.m., 2172 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia [26]
  Hearing on U.S. Policy and the Road to Damascus: Who's Converting Whom? 9 a.m., 2172 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade [26]
  Hearing on U.S. Export Promotion Strategy, 10 a.m., 2200 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment [27]
  Hearing entitled ``Moving Beyond the First Five Years: Evolving the Office of Intelligence and Analysis to Better Serve State, Local and Tribal Needs,'' 10 a.m., 311 Cannon.
• House Committee on the Judiciary, Task Force on Competition Policy and Antitrust Laws [17]
  Hearing on Competition in the Airline Industry, 10:30 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans [28]
  Hearing on the following bills: H.R. 3639, Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act; and H.R. 5350, To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to sell or exchange certain National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration property located in Norfolk, Virginia, and for other purposes, 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth.
• House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands [28]
  Hearing on the following bills: H.R. 859, Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Act; H.R. 3227, To direct the Secretary of the Interior to continue stocking fish in certain lakes in the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area; H.R. 3667, Missisquoi and Trout Rivers Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2007; H.R. 3930, Lesser Prairie Chicken National Habitat Preservation Area Act of 2007, and for other purposes; H.R. 3981, Preserve America and Save America's Treasures Act; and H.R. 5540, Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Continuing Authorization Act, 10 a.m., 1334 Longworth.
• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform [29]
  Hearing on EPA's New Ozone Standards, 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia [29]
  Hearing on H.R. 1296, District of Columbia District Attorney Establishment Act, 10 a.m., 2247 Rayburn; and a hearing entitled ``Eliminating Smoke and Mirrors in the Mail,'' 2 p.m., 2154 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics [30]
  Hearing on NASA's International Space Station Program: Status and Issues, 10:30 a.m., 2318 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation [30]
  Hearing on Aviation Security Research and Development at the Department of Homeland Security, 1 p.m., 2318 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Small Business [31]
  Hearing entitled ``The Role of Small Businesses in Stimulating the Economy,'' 10 a.m., 1539 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit [32]
  Hearing on Freight Movement from Origin to Destination, 11 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.
• House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability and Memorial Affairs [33]
  Hearing to mark up Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008, 11 a.m., 340 Cannon.
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence [35]
  Hearing on Fiscal Year 2009 Budget--Special Program, 9 a.m., and executive, hearing on Fiscal Year 2009 Budget--Special Program, 10 H-405 Capitol.

April 25, 2008

Senate

• Senate Committee on Armed Services [39]
  Hearing to receive information relating to the treatment of detainees. 9:00 a.m. [SR-222]