McConnell Plans Busy Week ahead for Senate

The office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is setting up a busy schedule for the Senate next week, focusing on how to combat the coronavirus pandemic and confirming several of President Donald Trump’s stalled nominees, The Hill reported.

The GOP leader has scheduled a vote for 5 p.m. Monday on the confirmation of Robert Feitel to be inspector general of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

McConnell’s office said senators may also hold floor votes on “mission-critical Covid-19 nominees” as well as national security-related nominees.

McConnell announced in an interview on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” that the Senate “will modify routines in ways that are smart and safe” so that lawmakers can reconvene in the Capitol next week and “honor our constitutional duty to the American people and conduct critical business in person.”

McConnell’s staff on Friday also highlighted committee business scheduled for next week.

The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on Brian Miller’s nomination to serve as special inspector general for pandemic recovery at the Treasury Department and Dana Wade’s nomination to serve as Federal Housing Administration commissioner.

The Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on the nomination of John Ratcliffe to serve as the director of national intelligence.

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on the nominations of Kenneth Braithwaite to serve as secretary of the Navy, James Anderson to serve as deputy secretary of Defense for policy and Charles Brown to serve as chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force.

The Rules Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on James Trainor to serve on the Federal Election Commission. The Trump nominee was the target of criticism from Democrats in March over his role working on the 2003 redistricting of congressional districts in Texas, which cost Democrats several House seats in the 2004 election.

The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on a new $1.5 billion National Institutes of Health initiative to speed up the development of coronavirus tests.

The Commerce Committee will hold a Wednesday hearing on the effect of the pandemic on the aviation industry.

Eric Fanning, the president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, and Todd Hauptli, president and CEO of the American Association of Airport Executives, will testify. 

GOP leadership aides say the Senate may also consider legislation to reauthorize expired surveillance provisions of the USA Freedom Act.

A Senate Republican aide noted that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) still has not acted on the short-term extension of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act surveillance powers the Senate passed in March.

House Democrats are waiting for the Senate to act on a House-passed bipartisan deal to three key surveillance authorities.

Attorney General William Barr has expressed support for the House legislation but conservative Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) oppose it. Senate GOP leaders passed a 77-day extension of surveillance powers to accommodate Lee and Paul.

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