This Week on the Hill

Week of March 1, 2021


(Last Updated: Monday, March 15, 2021 at 9:00 am EST)
ThisWeekInImmigration.Com's "This Week on the Hill" page lists the immigration-, human trafficking-, and refugee-related hearings, markups, and floor actions that either have been officially scheduled or that are anticipated to occur during the current week.
  • U.S. House of Representatives
  • ​​U.S. Senate
  • Bicameral
  • Non-Governmental
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This Week's Hearings and Briefings
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
10:00 am EST
  • House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing:  The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing for this week on "Health and Safety Protections for Meatpacking, Poultry, and Agricultural Workers."  The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
Anticipated Witnesses: Scheduled to testify at the hearing are Deborah Berkowitz, Director of the National Employment Law Project's Worker Safety and Health Program; Dulce Castaneda, Founding Member of Children of Smithfield; Iris Figueroa, Director of Economic and Environmental Justice at Farmworker Justice; Carmen Rottenberg, managing director of the Groundswell Group.
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
10:00 am EST
  • House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Hearing:  The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security and Trade has scheduled a hearing for this week on "A Way Forward for Venezuela: The Humanitarian, Diplomatic, and National Security Challenges Facing the Biden Administration." The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 3, 2021.
Anticipated Witnesses: Scheduled to testify at the hearing are Feliciano Reyna, Founder and Executive President of Accion Solidaria; Cynthia J. Arnson, Director of the Wilson Center Latin America Program; Brian Fonseca, Director of the Florida International University Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy; and Ryan C. Berg, Research Fellow for Latin America studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
This Week's Markups and Business Meetings
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Business Hearings
This Week's Floor Actions
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Floor Activity
This Week's Hearings and Briefings
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Hearings
This Week's Markups and Business Meetings
Monday, March 1, 2021
1:00 pm EST
  • Committee Organization and Consideration of the Nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General: The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a business meeting for this week, during which it will organize for the 117th Congress and consider he nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General of the United States.  ​The meeting is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST on Monday, March 1, 2021, in Room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
Department of Justice Jurisdiction Over Migration Matters. The Department of Justice is the parent agency of several entities with jurisdiction over immigration matters. The most significant of these is the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which has as its primary mission the adjudication of immigration cases by interpreting and administering the nation's immigration laws. Under delegated authority from the Attorney General, EOIR conducts immigration court proceedings, appellate reviews, and administrative hearings.

​Outlook.  The Committee is almost certain to approve the nomination.
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
10:00 am EST
  • Committee Consideration of the Nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services: The Senate Committee on Finance has scheduled a business meeting for this week, during which it will consider the nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.  ​The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
Department of Health and Human Services Jurisdiction Over Migration Matters. The Department of Health and Human Services operates several specific programs that assist refugees and other vulnerable populations of noncitizens:
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Resettlement Services to Refugees, Including Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM); Asylees;  Special Immigrant Iraqis and Afghans; Cuban/Haitian Entrants; and Certain Amerasians. These programs provide resettlement services to refugees who have been admitted to the United States and aliens, individuals who have been granted asylum in the United States, individuals from Vietnam who are admitted to the U.S. as immigrants pursuant to section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988.
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Trafficking Victims. These programs assist aliens found in the United States who are the victims of trafficking (these individuals also receive resettlement services);
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Torture Victims. These programs assist alien torture victims who are found in the United States (these individuals also receive resettlement services); and
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Unaccompanied Alien Children. Unaccompanied Alien Children. These programs provide care and custody and some post-release services for unaccompanied aliens in federal custody while their status is being resolved.
The Department operates these programs through its Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), an office in the Department’s Administration for Children and Families.
Outlook.  The Committee is almost certain to approve the nomination.
This Week's Floor Actions
Thursday, March 4, 2021 and the Balance of the Week
  • Senate Floor Consideration of FY '21 Budget Reconciliation Act:  The full Senate this week is expected to take up  H.R. 1319, the "American Rescue Plan Act" of 2021", which is the title of the Biden COVID-19 relief reconciliation bill, and was assembled by the House Committee on the Budget pursuant to S. Con. Res. 5, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for FY2021.  
Hearings, Briefings, and Conference Committee Actions
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Legislative Activity