Director’s Desk
Kristin Nicholson | July 2, 2019
Dear Friends:
Congress is taking a breather this week, and hopefully you will have a chance to do the same. When the action picks back up next week, look for the House to take up the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (the Senate passed its version in June). We might also see continued work on appropriations in the House, which has yet to approve its Legislative Branch and Homeland Security funding measures. Lagging far behind is the Senate, where disagreements persist over whether to proceed on appropriations at all in the absence of a deal between Congress and the White House on overall budget numbers.
Meanwhile, oversight tensions continue to mount. Today, House Democrats announced a lawsuit aimed at access to President Trump’s tax returns, while the House Oversight Committee is seeking private email communications from top administration officials. We can also expect to hear more about conditions and personnel at border facilities from lawmakers, several of whom are making visits to the border this week. And of course, all eyes will be on the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees on July 17, when Robert Mueller appears to deliver his long-awaited testimony on the Special Counsel’s report released in April.
The judicial branch has not been immune to drama either. In our latest newsletter, Non-Resident Senior Fellow Susan Sullivan Lagon walks us through one of the most momentous decisions of the Supreme Court’s just-ended term. It’s an outcome that will reverberate in Congress and in state legislatures across the country for years to come.
From all of us at GAI, wishing you a very happy 4th of July! Enjoy the rest of the summer, and we’ll be back in your inboxes after Labor Day.
Kristin
Categories: Director's Desk, Updates