House and Senate in Recess The House and Senate will be in recess next week coinciding with Presidents’ Day. DOJ Workshop on Section 230 On February 19, the Department of Justice will hold a workshop on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act titled “Section 230 – Nurturing Innovation or Fostering Unaccountability?.” US-India Trade Agreement The President and First Lady will travel to India on February 24 and 25. President Trump and Prime Minister Modi…

Drone Origin Security Enhancement Act On Monday, the House passed H.R. 4753, the Drone Origin Security Enhancement Act. The bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from acquiring or operating foreign manufactured unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or UAS with certain parts manufactured overseas. Also on Monday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) proposed to make the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) part of the Department of Justice (DOJ) under one Senate-confirmed Director, rather than five commissioners, reporting…

Pending Nominations The House and Senate are both in session next week, but will recess the following week coinciding with Presidents Day. With the impeachment trial over, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has teed up a number of pending nominations for consideration. FY21 Budget President Trump will release his fiscal year 2021 budget on Monday. The budget is generally seen as the administration’s wishlist for Congress to consider for the upcoming fiscal year, which…

Impeachment Trial Ends The Senate impeachment trial came to an end this week with the Senate voting on Wednesday to acquit President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The vote largely came down along party lines, with the exception of Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), who joined Democrats in voting to convict for abuse of power. Support for Puerto Rico House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) introduced a bill last…

Additional Funding for Puerto Rico The House is expected to take up a supplemental appropriations bill next week to provide additional funding to Puerto Rico in the aftermath of recent natural disasters. Coronavirus Several committees are also expected to hold hearings on the coronavirus. State of the Union President Trump will deliver his State of the Union address next Tuesday evening and plans to release his FY10 budget proposal on February 10. He is expected…

Impeachment Trial The Senate impeachment trial of President Trump continued this week, with the House managers concluding their argument on Friday. The President’s Counsel presented their defense this week. The duration of the trial remains to be determined as senators consider whether to call witnesses, notably former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Review of NTIA’s Federal Spectrum Management Processes On the other side of the Capitol, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)…

Impeachment Trial Continues, House Returns The House will return to Washington next week as the Senate carries on with its impeachment trial. While Senate committee hearings are largely on hold, House committees will resume business as usual and examine topics including U.S. competitiveness in critical technologies and the rise of mobile payments. Rural Digital Opportunity Fund On January 30, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on final rules for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund,…