Week Ahead: House returns to budget battle

Budget battles in the House and a tough Senate primary are dominating congressional news this week.

Democrats are promising a rough markup Monday in the House Budget Committee, which is where Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will offer his budget plan and where lawmakers will grapple over sequester requirements.

{mosads}Also in the lower chamber, the floor debate on spending begins with the appropriations package for the Departments of Commerce and Justice. The House will also debate a transportation package that includes approval of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.

In Indiana, Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) is facing the toughest race of his political career and conventional wisdom has him losing to state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R). A poll of the GOP Senate primary out late last week had the long-time senator down 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Senate is set to take up its version of legislation that would keep lower rates for student loans, which are set to expire on July 1.

The upper chamber is also expected to confirm President Obama’s two nominees to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sometime this week — Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel and Republican Ajit Pai.

And Prince Harry is in town on Monday.

Monday, May 7

Vice President Biden attends campaign fundraisers in Nashville and Atlanta.

The House Budget Committee holds a markup on the “Sequester Replacement Act of 2012” and the “Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012.” The hearing begins at 2 p.m. in 210 Cannon.

Prince Harry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon are among the honorees at the Atlantic Council’s 2012 Annual Awards Dinner. The invitation-only event begins at 6 p.m. at the Atlantic Council.

Tuesday, May 8

Polls close at 7 p.m. ET in Indiana. The states also holding presidential primaries are North Carolina and West Virginia.

President Obama travels to the State University of New York in Albany, N.Y., for an economic event. In the evening, he’ll give the keynote address at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies annual gala.

Biden will deliver remarks at the Rabbinical Assembly’s annual convention in Atlanta at 10:45 a.m. and then heads to Charleston for a fundraiser.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan testifies before Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on the housing market at 10 a.m. in 538 Dirksen.

Wednesday, May 9

The House Armed Services Committee will mark up the Pentagon’s $500 billion-plus budget. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. in 2118 Rayburn.

Obama and Michelle Obama, as part of the “In Performance at the White House” series, will honor songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who will be awarded the 2012 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.  The event will include performances by Sheryl Crow, Michael Feinstein, Diana Krall, Lyle Lovett, Mike Myers, Rumer, Arturo Sandoval, Sheléa and Stevie Wonder. It begins at 7 p.m.

Biden holds a dinner for Democratic House Freshmen at the Naval Observatory.

Thursday, May 10

Obama travels to Seattle and Los Angeles for campaign fundraisers.  He will remain overnight in Los Angeles.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host a Joining Forces event at the White House in honor of military mothers. It begins at 1:45 p.m. Then they will go to the Naval Observatory for a Joining Forces service event with Congressional spouses to assemble Mother’s Day packages that deployed troops have requested to be sent to their mothers and wives at home.

Biden will speak to students at the White House about the importance of higher education and argue that Congress should prevent student loan interest rates from doubling on July 1st.

Friday, May 11

Obama will be in Reno to hold an economic event. He will return to Washington later in the day.

Michelle Obama delivers the commencement address at Virginia Tech.

— Peter Schroeder and Brendan Sasso contributed