This Week on the Hill

Week of March 8, 2021



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
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
10:00 am EST
  • House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Hearing on COVID-19 and International Development: The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Development, International Organizations and Global Corporate Social Impact has scheduled a hearing for next week on "A Year into the Pandemic: The State of International Development."  The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses.  Scheduled to testify at the hearing are Rajiv J. Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation and former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Bonnie Glick, Senior Advisor in the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Fellow in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Institute of Politics and former Deputy Administrator and COO of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
1:30 pm EST
  • House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing on U.S. Foreign Policy: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has scheduled a hearing for next week on "The Biden Administration's Priorities for U.S. Foreign Policy."  The hearing is scheduled for 1:30 pm EST on Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
​Anticipated Witnesses.  Scheduled to testify at the hearing is Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.
Friday, March 12, 2021
10:00 am EST
  • House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing:  The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has scheduled a hearing for this week on on "Policy Recommendations on Haiti for the Biden Administration."  The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Friday, March 12, 2021.
Anticipated Witnesses: The witness list for the hearing includes Emmanuela Douyon, Policy Expert, Activist with Nou Pap Domi; Guerline Jozef, President of the Haitian Bridge Alliance; and Rosy Auguste, Program Director for the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights.
This Week's Markups and Business Meetings
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Business Meetings
This Week's Floor Actions
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 
  • House Floor Consideration of FY '21 Budget Reconciliation Act:  The full House this week is expected to take up the Senate Amendments to 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, passed by the House, and then amended in the Senate.  
This Week's Hearings and Briefings
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
9:00 am EST
  • Committee Hearing on the Nominations of the Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General: The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing for this week on the nominations of Lisa O. Monaco to be Deputy Attorney General and Vanita Gupta to be Associate Attorney General.  ​The hearing is scheduled for 9:00 am EST on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
Background on Deputy Attorney General.  The Deputy Attorney General is the second-highest-ranking official in a Department of Justice.  He or she oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department, and may act as Attorney General during the absence of the Attorney General. 

From an immigration perspective, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) reports to the Deputy Attorney General.

Background on Associate Attorney General.  The Associate Attorney General is the third-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The Associate Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters.  It oversees a number of entities within the Department. 

From an immigration perspective, the position oversees the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) and the Community Relations Service.
Thursday, March 11, 2021
10:00 am EST
  • Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on U.S. Foreign Policy: The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has scheduled a hearing for this week on on "Opportunities and Challenges for the United States Around the World."  The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Room SVC-217, U.S. Capitol Building.
Anticipated Witnesses.  Scheduled to testify at the hearing is Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.
This Week's Markups and Business Meetings
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Business Meetings
This Week's Floor Actions
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
  • Senate Floor Consideration of the Nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General of the United States: The full Senate s expected this week to take up the nomination of Merrick Garland to be Attorney General of the United States.
Parliamentary Situation.  Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) has filed a cloture motion on the nomination.  The Senate could vote on cloture in connection with the nomination as soon as Tuesday, March 9, 2021.

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 Senate is almost certain to confirm the nomination.
​At the time of this writing, no unanimous consent agreement was in place providing for floor consideration of the nomination.
Hearings, Briefings, and Conference Committee Actions
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Legislative Activity