This Week in Congress

Because there is so much going on this week, I am splitting This Week in Congress into two separate entries.

The House is in session Monday through Friday. In addition to the budget, the House will also consider H.R. 469. This bill requires public notice and comments for any lawsuit seeking to force a federal agency to take a specific action.  The bill is designed to stop lawsuits brought by pro-big government organizations to force bureaucrats to take actions the bureaucrats want to take. These cars are oftentimes little more than collisions between the groups and the bureaucrats.

The House will also consider the following legislation under suspension:

1. H.R. 3328 – requires a study on security at Cuban airports, the standardization of Federal Air Marshall agreements, and efforts to raise international airline security— in other words pressure other countries to adopt TSA-like policies.

2. H.R. 4010 – Provides legal action and enhanced penalties for those who violate Congressional subpoenas.

3. H.R. 3898 – Forbids assurance to any government that does not implement sanctions on North Korea. As Campaign for Liberty Chairman Ron Paul has pointed out, one of the problems with international financial institutions is that they serve as an arm of U.S. interventionist foreign policy. The bill also places conditions on financial institutions dealings with North Korea.

4. H.R. 1608 – from the official summary:

This bill states that it is U.S. policy to prevent Iran from undertaking any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

The President shall report to Congress regarding the foreign and domestic supply chain in Iran that supports Iran's ballistic missile program. The report shall identify individuals and companies involved in such activities.

The President shall submit to Congress a determination of whether any Iranian ballistic missile test violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. Such resolution endorses the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and sets out a mechanism to monitor Iranian compliance.

The President shall impose sanctions against: (1) Iranian government agencies involved in ballistic missile development; (2) foreign entities that supply material for, or otherwise facilitate or finance, such efforts; (3) foreign persons or foreign government agencies that import, export, or re-export prohibited arms or related material to or from Iran; and (4) foreign persons or entities that transfer goods or technologies contributing to Iran's ability to acquire or develop ballistic missiles, including launch technology, and destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.

The President shall investigate potential violations of ballistic missile and conventional weapons sanctions against Iran.

The President shall report to Congress regarding credible information about Iran's violations of arms restrictions and attempts to pursue sanctionable activities

This is designed to completely erase the Iran nuclear deal following the President’s decertification of the deal. It also takes a big step toward a war with Oran yet is it being considered u see suspension with forty minutes of debate and no chance to offer amendments.

5. H.R. 359 – expresses the sense of Congress that the European Union should declare Hizballah a terrorist organization.

6. H.R. 3342 – Imposes sanctions on persons involved with Hizballah’s use of “human shields.”

7. H.R. 3329 – Imposes additional sanctions on Hizballah.