This Week in Congress: 10.1.07 - 10.7.07

 

Appropriations

The Senate is expected to finally wrap up the FY 2008 Defense Authorization Act this afternoon. The Senate will then turn its attention to consideration of the FY 2008 Defense Appropriations bill on Tuesday and the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill later in the week.

More on the appropriations process:

• Engineering a Train Wreck, by Scott Lilly
• Showdown on Government Investment, by Scott Lilly

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court begins a new term today after its summer recess. The coming months will bring several high-profile cases, including examinations of U.S. treatment of terrorism detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the constitutionality of lethal injection, the limits of executive power, and whether states can require photo identification cards for voters.

More on the Supreme Court:

• Supreme Court Decisions in Peril
• In Their Own Words: Roberts and Alito
• Talking Points: Roberts and Alito

 

Darfur

The Senate will once again discuss Darfur in committee this week, fresh on the heels of reports that rebel forces this weekend stormed an African Union military base in the region and killed at least 10 peacekeepers.

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss how to combat the genocide in Darfur. The committee will focus on how to use divestment as a policy tool. John Prendergast of the ENOUGH project will testify at the hearing.

More on Darfur:

• Echoes of Genocide in Darfur and Eastern Chad, by John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-Jensen
• Khartoum Bombs; the World Debates, by John Prendergast and Julia Spiegel
• Successful Peacekeeping in Darfur, by Gayle Smith
  

Homeland Security

The Senate will discuss an array of homeland security measures this week. On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will meet to discuss state, local, and private sector pandemic flu preparedness.

Thursday, the committee will turn its attention to port security and discuss the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Department's port and cargo security programs—identified by many experts as the weakest link in keeping our borders secure.

More on port security and pandemic flu:

• The Terrorism Index
• Confronting Security Vulnerabilities, by P.J. Crowley
• Preventing Toxic Terrorism, by Andrew Grotto

 

Retirement

The House Education and Commerce Committee will begin work this week on new retirement legislation. The committee holds a hearing to discuss H.R. 3185, the 401(k) Fair Disclosure for Retirement Security Act, which would amend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to provide special reporting and disclosure rules for individual account plans and establish an Advisory Council on Improving Employer-Employee Retirement Practices in the Labor Department.

More on retirement security:

• Building 401(k) Wealth One Percent at a Time: Fees Chip Away at People’s Retirement Nest Eggs, by Christian E. Weller