Migration-Related Spending Bills and Oversight
Hearings on DHS Operations Dominate
the Week Ahead
Hearings on DHS Operations Dominate
the Week Ahead
Monday, July 13, 2020
The full U.S. House of Representatives and full U.S. Senate wrap up their respective two week-long Independence Day recesses at the end of the week ahead. However, several House committees have remained in Washington during the recess and are conducting significant business, including significant immigration- and refugee-related legislative activity.
The principal action in Congress in the week ahead week will be the continued production by the House Committee on Appropriations of the twelve regular fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills that fund the discretionary operations of the federal government, readying those measures for House floor action when the full House returns to legislative session beginning on July 20th.
With respect to the four regular appropriations bills that fund the nation's migration-related departments, agencies, functions, programs, and activities, the House Committee on Appropriations approved one of them on Thursday, July 9th, and it is scheduled to produce the other three during the week ahead.
As far as the week beginning July 13th is concerned, from the perspective of those interested in immigration, refugee, homeland security, or human trafficking policy, the week's legislative schedule includes two hearings (both occurring in the House); three markup sessions (all occurring in the House); and no floor action that either will or could touch on one or more of those subjects.
The principal action in Congress in the week ahead week will be the continued production by the House Committee on Appropriations of the twelve regular fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills that fund the discretionary operations of the federal government, readying those measures for House floor action when the full House returns to legislative session beginning on July 20th.
With respect to the four regular appropriations bills that fund the nation's migration-related departments, agencies, functions, programs, and activities, the House Committee on Appropriations approved one of them on Thursday, July 9th, and it is scheduled to produce the other three during the week ahead.
As far as the week beginning July 13th is concerned, from the perspective of those interested in immigration, refugee, homeland security, or human trafficking policy, the week's legislative schedule includes two hearings (both occurring in the House); three markup sessions (all occurring in the House); and no floor action that either will or could touch on one or more of those subjects.
The Work Period That Follows
Once Congress has fully returned to Washington, Congress will have a short three week-long period during which it will attempt to accomplish an extraordinary amount of work, including work that is consequential for immigration and refugee policy.
Once Congress has fully returned to Washington, Congress will have a short three week-long period during which it will attempt to accomplish an extraordinary amount of work, including work that is consequential for immigration and refugee policy.
- Regular Appropriations Bills. The full House hopes to take up and pass as many as 11 of the 12 regular appropriations bills for fiscal year 2021, including three of the four bills that appropriate funding for the nation's border security, interior immigration enforcement, immigration services, unaccompanied alien child, refugee resettlement, overseas refugee assistance, human trafficking assistance, and torture victim assistance agencies, programs, functions, an activities.
- National Defense Authorization Bills. The full Senate hopes to complete floor action on the National Defense Authorization Act shortly after it returns to Washington on Monday, July 20, and the full House is expected to take up and pass its version of the measure during the three weeks after it returns to Washington.
- Emergency Funding for USCIS and CBP. Congress is under pressure to find a way to provide supplemental funding to the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) components, which have suffered enormous deficits in revenue because of a combination of the Trump Administration's restrictive policies and its halt in providing of many of the fee-driven services they provide.
- COVID-19 Relief Legislation. Negotiations over the next tranche of COVID-19 relief legislation is expected to heat up soon, including negotiations over whether and how that legislation might or might not help immigrants and refugees who are suffering because of the health or economic upheaval that the pandemic has caused..
- Administrative Actions. Skirmishing between the White House, Democrats in Congress, and stakeholders, is expected to intensify in the coming weeks over an increasing number of administrative actions that the Trump Administration has taken on asylum, refugee, border control, and immigration matters that stakeholders and policy makers are fighting in the courts as well as in the public arena.
This Week's House and Senate Floor Activities
With the full House and full Senate in recess, no floor action on measures that either contain or could be the targets of immigration-related provisions are scheduled or likely during the week ahead.
With the full House and full Senate in recess, no floor action on measures that either contain or could be the targets of immigration-related provisions are scheduled or likely during the week ahead.
This Week's House and Senate Markups
At the time of this writing, the following measures that either contain significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related provisions or that could become a target for amendments on those subjects is scheduled for markup in House or Senate committees during the week ahead:
At the time of this writing, the following measures that either contain significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related provisions or that could become a target for amendments on those subjects is scheduled for markup in House or Senate committees during the week ahead:
- Full Committee Markup of FY '21 Homeland Security Appropriations Act: The House Committee on Appropriations is scheduled this week to hold a business meeting, during which it will mark up its version of the FY '21 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. Among its many provisions each year, this measure funds the federal government's interior immigration enforcement-, border security-, and immigration services-related agencies, programs, functions, and activities.
- Full Committee Markup of FY '21 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act: The House Committee on Appropriations is scheduled this week to hold a business meeting, during which it will mark up its version of the FY '21 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Among its many provisions each year, this measure funds the federal government's refugee resettlement, unaccompanied alien children, trafficking victim assistance, and torture victim assistance -related agencies, programs, functions, and activities.
- Full Committee Markup of FY '21 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act: The House Committee on Appropriations is scheduled this week to hold a business meeting, during which it will mark up ts version of the FY '21 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Among its many provisions each year, this measure funds the federal government's immigration court-related agencies, programs, functions, and activities.
This Week's Hearings and Briefings
At the time of this writing, the following hearings that are likely to touch on significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related matters are scheduled during the week ahead:
At the time of this writing, the following hearings that are likely to touch on significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related matters are scheduled during the week ahead:
- Oversight Hearing on ICE Detention Facilities: The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations has scheduled a hearing for the week ahead titled, "Oversight of ICE Detention Facilities:Examining ICE Contractors Response to COVID-19".
- Oversight Hearing on Children in CBP Custody: The House Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for the week ahead titled, "Children in CBP Custody: Examining Deaths, Medical Care Procedures, and Improper Spending.
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