This Week in Congress: July 19 – 23, 2010
This week the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Elena Kagan's nomination, the Senate will consider extending unemployment insurance benefits, and Sen. Harry Reid is expected to release a draft energy bill.
Supreme Court nomination
This Tuesday the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be an associate justice on the Supreme Court. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) is likely to be the only Republican to vote for Kagan on the Judiciary Committee. The nomination is expected on the Senate floor the week of August 2, which is the last week before the Senate leaves for a month-long August recess.
More from CAP:
- Keep Track of the Elena Kagan Nomination: Resources to Guide You Through the Supreme Court Nomination Process
- A Much-Needed Progressive Voice on the Court by John Podesta
- Ask the Expert: Ian Millhiser on the Supreme Court Nomination of Elena Kagan
- A Victory for Equal Justice by Ian Millhiser
Energy and climate
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will release a draft version of his energy package this week, which he has said he plans to bring to the floor next week. The broad outline of the package is expected to include four sections: oil disaster response provisions, clean energy and job-creation measures, tax provisions, and a utilities-only carbon cap. It is unclear whether opposition from moderate senators will cause the carbon cap for utilities component to be left out of the final package.
More from CAP:
- The Stone Soup Clean Energy and Climate Bill by Daniel J. Weiss, Susan Lyon, and Tina Ramos
- Green Jobs Put Americans on a Path to Stability and Growth by Alex Cárdenas and Jorge Madrid
- The “Energy-Only Bill” Mirage by Daniel J. Weiss
- Pollution Limits Are Essential for Clean Energy Investments: “Energy Only” Bills Short Change New Technologies by Daniel J. Weiss and Kate Gordon
Unemployment benefits
The Senate is expected to pass legislation that would extend unemployment benefits through November on Tuesday. The Senate will first swear in Carte Goodwin to be the interim replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-VA), who will serve as the 60th vote for the cloture vote that will follow immediately.
More from CAP:
- Today’s Unemployment Crisis by the Numbers by Heather Boushey, Christine Riordan, and Luke Reidenbach
- Private Sector Hiring Lackluster in June by Heather Boushey
- Policy Responses to Long-Term Unemployment by Heather Boushey
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