What to Know in Washington: Congress’ Big Agenda has Little Time

Congress returns this week with a lot on its agenda this year, including bipartisan tax cuts that would benefit US companies with large capital expenditures and legislation to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell its popular social video network.

But as the November election gets closer, the work only gets harder for a Congress riven by conflict over everything from immigration to IVF.

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

Signage supporting aid to Ukraine during a news conference outside the Capitol on March 13.

Long-delayed Ukraine war aid is the top priority when Congress returns to work this week after a two-week break. After that, there’ll be a short window for lawmaking before the election, as spending fights and House chaos have stalled most hot-button bills

Steven T. Dennis dives into the outlook for major unfinished business this Congress. Read more.

And for details on Congress’s full return agenda including major reauthorizations and aid packages, download the latest BGOV Hill Watch out today.

BIDEN’S AGENDA

• The president travels to Wisconsin to give remarks after 1 p.m. on lowering student loan costs before heading to Chicago for a campaign reception after 5 p.m.

CONGRESS’ SCHEDULE

• The House returns tomorrow to consider reauthorization of a controversial spy law.
• Senators return at 3 p.m. today to consider judicial nominees.
• For the full detailed agenda, read BGOV’s Congress Tracker.

Also Happening on the Hill

Joe Biden delivering remarks in Baltimore on Friday. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

PRESIDENT BIDEN pressed CONGRESS to quickly approve funds to rebuild the collapsed Baltimore bridge, visiting the site of a disaster that killed six people and shut down a major shipping and transportation artery.

• Baltimore’s port would be able to accept some commercial traffic by the end of April and fully reopen its shipping channel by the end of May, thanks to recovery efforts, Biden said Friday. But he said the federal government needs to pay for “all” of the rebuilding costs.
• “I call on Congress to authorize this effort as soon as possible,” the president said. “We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that’s here now.” Read more.

A Senate ally of Biden said ISRAEL should continue getting US weapons, rejecting a call by House members to withhold arms transfers pending an investigation into the Israeli missile strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza.

• Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) cited a heightened threat of a retaliatory attack by Iran or its proxies, such as Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon, after a strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that Iran blamed on Israel. Read more.
• War Latest: Israeli military officials said yesterday that troops are out of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, saying the IDF ended its mission there as the war against Hamas reached the six-month mark. Read more.

A deal on setting a NATIONAL DATA PRIVACY standard between the top Republican and Democrat on two powerful congressional committees marks a major step forward in a yearslong debate over how to protect Americans’ personal information online.

• Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) reached the agreement announced yesterday.
• Their proposal, still in discussion draft form, would for the first time establish consumer data privacy rights and allow Americans to sue companies such as Google or Meta. Read more.
• A bipartisan House duo will introduce companion legislation to a Senate bill that aims to improve online privacy and safety protections for kids, injecting fresh momentum into the languished effort and raising the prospects of action. Read more.

UK Foreign Secretary DAVID CAMERON will meet with SPEAKER JOHNSON in Washington this week.

• Cameron will discuss how Johnson can persuade Republican hardliners to pass billions of dollars in assistance for Ukraine.
• He warned of the “costs of failing to support Ukraine” ahead of his visit to urge Johnson to find a way for Congress to approve a $60 billion military aid package, in a joint article with his French counterpart, Stephane Sejourne, Read more.

People, Power, and Politics

Joe Biden with former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in New York on March 28. Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

BIDEN raised more than $90 million for his reelection campaign and the Democratic Party in March, topping Donald Trump’s haul and widening his financial advantage over the former president as he faces a cash crunch.

• The president and his party ended March with $192 million cash on hand, the most ever amassed for a Democrat at this point in the calendar, according to a statement by Biden’s campaign. That’s more than double the $93.1 million Trump and the GOP said they had at the end of last month.
• Biden had his biggest total from small-dollar donors to date, breaking records set in each of the previous four months. The campaign doubled the size of its mailing list and saw twice as much interaction from those receiving its emails and texts. Read more.

BIDEN’s alternative student-debt relief plan could forgive loans for as many as 26 million Americans, a far-reaching initiative that will be tested by the same challenges that beset his original program struck down by the Supreme Court.

The proposal, outlined by the White House today, must withstand expected lawsuits that could stretch into next year, placing the issue of rising student debt squarely in the crosshairs of November’s presidential election. A lengthy regulatory process also threatens to prevent relief if a new administration scraps the plan. Read more.

• Loan Discharges: Meanwhile, a federal appeals court halted a student loan policy shift expanding the pool of who qualifies for loan discharges, dealing another legal blow to the Biden administration’s election-year debt forgiveness campaign. Read more.

Sen. BOB MENENDEZ and his wife don’t want jurors at their upcoming federal corruption trial to learn about the power couple’s luxurious lifestyle that included cigars, handbags, and jewelry. Read more.

Rep. GARRET GRAVES is the House Republican incumbent with the most on the line as federal judges hear arguments over whether Louisiana was improperly given a second Black-majority seat in Congress. Read more.

A man accused of SETTING FIRE to Sen. BERNIE SANDERS’ office in Burlington, Vt. faces federal charges, ABC reports.

• Shant Soghomonian, formerly of Northridge, Calif., was arrested yesterday after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage.
• Staff were working inside when he allegedly sprayed a liquid on the outer door of the or the Vermont independent’s office in downtown Burlington. Read more.

US Keeps Watch on China

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

Xi Jinping, China’s president, left, shakes hands with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, during the opening ceremony at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 18, 2023.

The US is warning allies that CHINA has stepped up its support for Russia in its war in Ukraine — including by providing geospatial intelligence—despite some improvements in relations between Beijing and Washington.

• Amid signs of continued military integration between the two nations, China provided the Kremlin with satellite imagery for military purposes, as well as microelectronics and machine tools for tanks, according to people familiar. Read more.
• North Korea: Russia’s use of North Korean missiles in its assault in Ukraine is giving Pyongyang a rare chance to test its weapons in combat and perhaps take lessons that could improve their performance, a top US general said. Read more.

Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN implored Beijing’s top leaders to fundamentally rethink their economic growth strategy, as she wrapped up a high-stakes trip to China that’s been a balancing act in strengthening bilateral ties while delivering stark criticisms. Read more.

More Defense News Today

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L), US President Joe Biden (C) and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) arrive for a press conference after a trilateral meeting during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023 in San Diego.

The US, UK, and AUSTRALIA will announce talks on bringing new members into the Aukus alliance, according to The Financial Times. The talks will relate to Pillar II, involving collaboration on technologies such as undersea capabilities. Read more.

The FISA court approved a one-year extension to a controversial spy law that permits intelligence agencies and law enforcement to collect correspondence of foreign citizens in certain circumstances, an administration official said. Read more.

What Else We’re Watching

The NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE has months of unpaid bills and staff reimbursements stemming from the troubled rollout of a new payments system. But lucky streaks of good weather helped avert potential disasters. Read more.

The government’s complaint against APPLE singles out consumer privacy as a casualty of the iPhone maker’s conduct, as federal enforcers seeks to preempt the company’s defense of its walled garden business model. Read more.

To contact the reporters on this story: Brandon Lee in Washington at blee@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com; Giuseppe Macri at gmacri@bgov.com