The Week in Congress: February 2 – 6, 2009
This week Congress takes up economic recovery and reinvestment, children's health insurance, appropriations, and housing.
Economic recovery
The Senate begins debate today on H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Senate version includes $522 billion in tax cuts, including a one-year patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax, and $365 billion in targeted spending.
Read more from CAP on recovery and reinvestment:
Background brief: Recovery and Reinvestment 101
Interactive Maps: Recovery Beyond the Beltway
Infographic: The Stimulus: Four Reasons We Can’t Afford Not to Have One
Interactive: Design Your Own Stimulus Package
Health care
The House will take up the Senate-amended version of H.R. 2, the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act. The measure will reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, for four and a half years at a cost of $32.8 billion, expanding the number of children covered by the program by 4 million. The House is expected to clear H.R.2 without amendments, sending the measure to President Obama.
Read more about SCHIP from CAP:
Column: Putting Children’s Health Before Ideology
By the Numbers: Long Overdue for Children’s Health Insurance
Book: The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform
Housing and finance
This week, Congress will hold several hearings concerning the financial markets and the housing crisis. On Tuesday, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Promoting Bank Liquidity and Lending Through Deposit Insurance, Hope for Homeowners, and other Enhancements.” A full committee markup of related legislation is expected on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing focusing on oversight of the Troubled Assets Relief Program.
Learn more about housing from CAP:
Interactive Map: Helping States Deal with Foreclosures
Column: Time to Quarantine the Foreclosure Epidemic
Appropriations
The House is scheduled to consider a consolidated appropriations bill incorporating nine separate spending bills for fiscal year 2009. Last year, Congress passed three individual appropriations bills: Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security, as well as a continuing resolution funding the remaining federal government programs until March 6. The consolidated bill completes the fiscal year 2009 funding for the remaining nine appropriations bills.
More on appropriations:
Column: Stimulative Action
Interactive: Design Your Own Defense Budget
The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.