House set to dive into spending bills

The House is diving into the fiscal 2025 government funding process this week, with three spending bills scheduled to hit the floor.

The trio of measures — funding the departments of Homeland Security, State, Defense and Foreign Operations — were all opposed by House Democrats in committee, meaning they are all but certain to be rejected in the Democratic-controlled Senate if they clear the lower chamber.

But House Republicans, nonetheless, are looking to pass the legislation to give them a leg up in eventual negotiations with the Senate over funding the government. The House thus far has passed one appropriations bill, funding military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Lawmakers are staring down a Sept. 30 funding deadline, though Congress is expected to pass a short-term stopgap bill to kick the shutdown cliff to after the November election.

This week will also feature a who’s who of celebrities on Capitol Hill with former Olympian Michael Phelps, reality TV star Paris Hilton and country music singer Randy Travis set to testify before House committees on a variety of topics.

The Senate is out of session this week.

House to take up trio of spending bills

House lawmakers will weigh in on three government funding bills this week as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) looks to make good on his rigorous schedule for the appropriations process.

The chamber will vote on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security; the departments of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs; and the Department of Defense.

The bills are set to go before the House Rules Committee at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday. More than 230 amendments were filed for the Homeland Security bill, several of which focus on the border; upward of 210 amendments were put forth for the State/Foreign Operations measure, with some focusing on Ukraine; and around 400 amendments were proposed for the Pentagon legislation.

The Rules Committee will determine which amendments receive votes on the floor.

The trio of bills all advanced out of the appropriations committee despite opposition from Democrats, meaning they are all but certain to languish in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Top House Republicans, however, are still moving forward with the votes, hoping the cleared legislation will put them on stronger footing during negotiations with the Senate down the road.

The votes this week also come as Johnson looks to meet the government funding timeline he laid out before he secured the top job in October.

Johnson, at the time, said he planned to complete House consideration of fiscal 2025 appropriations bills by July, an ambitious timeline amid the GOP’s intraparty disagreements.

If the House does not clear all its appropriations bill by August recess, he said in October, the House should not break for the district work period.

The House has passed just one fiscal 2025 spending bill thus far — funding military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs — which the White House said it would veto if the measure made its way to President Biden’s desk.

Michael Phelps, Paris Hilton, Randy Travis to testify

A handful of celebrities are set to testify on Capitol Hill this week, bringing attention to a variety of topics in Washington.

Michael Phelps, who has 23 Olympic swimming gold medals, is set appear before the House Energy and Commerce’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee about antidoping measures ahead of the 2024 Olympics.

The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. Phelps will be joined by fellow former Olympic swimmer Allison Schmitt and CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Travis Tygart.

“Olympic athletes dedicate years of their lives to perfect their craft in order to represent the United States on the world stage. They — as well as athletes from every other country — deserve to compete on a level playing field that’s free of banned performance enhancing drugs,” House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) said in a statement last week.

“The World Anti-Doping Agency, the governing body responsible for enforcing fair standards, has a questionable track record of fulfilling that mission,” they continued. “This hearing will give Members a chance to examine that track record, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure that the best athletes are the ones taking home gold medals.”

Paris Hilton, who is no stranger to Capitol Hill, is expected to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee about the abuse of foster youth who were placed in residential treatment facilities. She is also set to meet with lawmakers to discuss the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, legislation she has discussed in previous visits to the Capitol.

Additionally, Randy Travis — known for the country song “Forever and Ever, Amen” — Is set to appear before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet for a hearing focused on music and copyrights.

The hearing, titled “Radio, Music and Copyrights: 100 Years of Inequity for Recording Artists,” is scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m. Travis will be joined by SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe.