HEADLINES

Below is this week's congressional update by BakerHostetler's Federal Policy team. We'll continue to post in weeks when both chambers of Congress are in session.

  • The 118th Congress is up and running for the first full week that both chambers are in session.
  • The House will take up legislation that would prohibit the Secretary of Energy from tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for nonemergency reasons until establishing a plan to increase oil and gas production on federal lands and waters.
  • President Joe Biden will host a reception for new members of Congress, as well as a reception to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

HOUSE

  • The House will hold floor votes tomorrow through Friday, including on the Strategic Production Response Act.
  • House committees have not yet scheduled any hearings, as they are not yet fully constituted after operations were delayed by the drawn-out speaker election.
  • Republicans have completed their committee assignments, while Democrats plan to do so this week.

SENATE

  • The Senate will return to the floor to vote on Biden's nominees.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on promoting competition and protecting consumers in live entertainment, examining repeated problems with ticket sales by Ticketmaster.
  • Senate committee organization and rosters also still must be finalized, as the chamber has been out of session since Jan. 3.
  • Any additional committee meetings can be found here.

WHITE HOUSE

  • The White House is working to mitigate a growing scandal over Biden's handling of classified documents.
  • Tomorrow, the president will meet with Democratic congressional leadership before hosting a White House reception for new members of Congress.
  • Thursday, Biden will speak on the economy and host a Lunar New Year reception at the White House.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.