This Week in Congress: 9.17.07-9.21.07

CAP Prepares You for This Week’s Big Issues

Iraq

The Senate will spend much of the week debating the Defense Authorization Act to set the budget for the Defense Department for Fiscal Year 2008, which begins Oct. 1. The Webb amendment, which would require troops be given at least as much time at home as they spend in combat, is likely to be a source of controversy, as are several other possible amendments that would require various forms of troop drawdown in Iraq.

Other possible amendments include one from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would close the prison at Guantanamo Bay within one year and prohibit transferring detainees outside the United States and an amendment from Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) that would restore habeas corpus to detainees who have been declared enemy combatants and reverse the ban on detainees appealing their treatment.

In the House, the Foreign Affairs Committee will assess the Bush administration’s September progress report on Iraq.

Read about more about Iraq from CAP:

• Much Ado About Nothing: Previewing Bush and Cheney Speeches on Iraq
• The Cost of Staying the Course in Iraq
• Strategic Reset: Reclaiming Control of U.S. Security in the Middle East
• How to Redploy: Implementing a Responsible Drawdown of U.S. Forces from Iraq

Subprime Mortgage Industry

The full House considers the Expanding American Homeownership Act, which would allow the Federal Housing Administration to insure a larger range of mortgages for low- and middle-income to decrease reliance on subprime mortgage loans among those populations.

Two committees will also hold hearings on the recent crisis in the mortgage industry. The House Financial Services Committee will hear testimony from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson; HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson; and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as they address “Legislative and Regulatory Options for Minimizing and Mitigating Mortgage Foreclosures.” Meanwhile the Joint Economic Committee will evaluate the threat that the mortgage crisis poses to the broader economy.

Read more on the Mortgage Crisis from the Center for American Progress:

• FDR Solves the Mortgage Crisis
• From Boom to Bust: Helping Families Prepare for the Rise in Subprime Mortgage Foreclosures
• Subprime Mortgage Foreclosures by the Numbers

FISA

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell testifies in front of two House committees this week about the Foreign Service Intelligence Act. The House Select Intelligence Committee will also hear testimony from former Secretary of State James Baker and Jim Dempsey, policy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. The House Judiciary Committee will address improving civil rights protections under FISA when the act is renewed in five months.

The Center for American Progress Action Fund will host an event on Wednesday featuring Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) to discuss the ways in which FISA can be improved to better safeguard both our security and our civil liberties.

Read more about safeguarding both security and civil liberties from CAP:

• No Mere Oversight: Congressional Oversight of U.S. Intelligence
• Improper Use of National Security Letters by the FBI

Infrastructure

Protecting and improving bridges and other critical infrastructure continues to be a key issue in Congress this week as hearings in both the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the House Science and Technology Committee address how to protect and improve the condition of our nation’s bridges. The Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security and Water Quality Subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will also take up improving wastewater infrastructure to meet America’s needs in the 21st century.

The full House will also consider the FAA Reauthorization Act, which will finance the Federal Aviation Administration for the upcoming fiscal year. The act includes provisions for modernizing airport security and improving airport and airline safety.

CAP responds to the crisis facing America’s decaying public infrastructure:

• Consequences of Disinvestment
• Toxic Trains and the Terrorist Threat
• Failing Infrastructure by the Numbers

To speak with our experts on these topics, please contact:

For TV, Sean Gibbons, Director of Media Strategy
202.682.1611 or sgibbons@americanprogress.org
For print or radio, John Neurohr, Press Assistant
202.481.8182 or jneurohr@americanprogress.org
For web, Erin Lindsay, Online Marketing Manager
202.741.6397 or elindsay@americanprogress.org