FEMA Administrator Confirmed The Senate confirmed Peter Gaynor on Tuesday to be Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Gaynor previously served as the Director of Rhode Island’s Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) and advised Governor Gina Raimondo on emergency management and response. USMCA Passes Senate The Senate passed the United States-Canada-Mexico trade agreement (USMCA) this morning 89-10. Earlier in the day, it made its way through committees of jurisdiction.  On the Senate Commerce Committee,…

Impeachment Trial The Senate is continuing to move towards President Trump’s impeachment trial. Disagreements between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have delayed the start of the trial; however, McConnell told Republican Senators on Tuesday that he has the votes to start an impeachment trial without witnesses, something Democrats have demanded. The Leader has said he will not take up any vote on USMCA or any other…

Senate Changes Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) was sworn in on Monday to succeed former Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who stepped down at the end of the year amid ongoing health issues. She will sit on the Agriculture, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Veterans Affairs Committees. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) succeeds Isakson as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee and Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) filled Isakson’s coveted spot on the Senate Finance Committee. USMCA…

FY20 Spending Bills Appropriations Committee leaders reached a deal early this week to fund the government through FY20 and unveiled two packages of spending bills. One combines the Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Financial Services measures; the second including the Agriculture-FDA, Labor-HHS-Education, Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, State-Foreign Operations, Transportation-HUD, Military Construction-VA, and Legislative Branch measures. The House passed the packages on Tuesday 280-138 and 297-120, respectively. The Senate is expected to follow suit on Thursday and send the…

Continuing Negotiations on FY20 Appropriations Bicameral Appropriations Committee leadership and the Administration continue to negotiate a deal on FY20 appropriations as the current continuing resolution prepares to lapse at the end of next week. Robocall Legislation The Senate may also bring up compromise robocalls legislation that passed the House last week 417-3, though Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has indicated he will object to an effort to move it by unanimous consent. Pending Nominations On Tuesday,…

FY20 Appropriations With just a handful of legislative days remaining before government spending authority expires on December 20, House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders met this morning to continue to discuss a path forward for FY20 appropriations. Pending Nominations The Senate spent most of the week on pending nominations, including Stephen Hahn’s nomination to serve as FDA commissioner and John Sullivan’s nomination to be the next US Ambassador to Russia. Today, Senate Republicans met with…

Continuing Resolution With government spending authority set to expire on Thursday, the House unveiled a continuing resolution (CR) on Monday to extend funding through December 20. It went on to pass the chamber Tuesday, 231-192 and the Senate followed suit today, 74-20. The President is expected to sign it into law, averting a government shutdown. Confirmation Hearing for FDA Commissioner On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a confirmation hearing for…