Debt ceiling, abortion ruling, 2024: Congress faces questions upon return to Washington

House and Senate lawmakers will face questions on a number of high-stakes matters as they return to Washington on Monday after a two-week recess.

The looming debt ceiling deadline, a legal battle over a widely used abortion pill and the Republican 2024 presidential field will all dominate Capitol Hill this week, as lawmakers react to news that broke while they were outside Washington.

The week, however, will kick off in New York City on Monday, when the House Judiciary Committee is holding a field hearing on violent crime in Manhattan. The event is part of the GOP-led panel’s efforts to look into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) after a grand jury he empaneled indicted former President Trump.

Also this week, senators will receive a classified briefing on the leak of classified Pentagon documents, which has rocked the country.

And, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) will both return to the Capitol this week after being sidelined while recovering from medical conditions, as questions continue to loom about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) prolonged absence. On the House side, lawmakers are considering a number of pieces of legislation pertaining to China, Russia, a D.C. policing bill and transgender athletes. 

Questions on debt ceiling, abortion ruling, 2024

The debt ceiling will likely be a central topic of conversation when lawmakers return to Washington this week, as the summer deadline to raise the borrowing limit inches closer.

Bloomberg reported last week that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is getting ready to put forward a debt ceiling plan this week that would open up negotiations between him and congressional Democrats and the White House.

The proposal suggests holding a vote in May to suspend the debt ceiling for one year and enact spending cuts, according to Bloomberg, giving Republicans another opportunity to force concessions when the borrowing cap has to be dealt with again next year.

The bill, however, has little chance of passing through Congress and being signed into law. President Biden has consistently said he wants a clean debt ceiling increase.

McCarthy is scheduled to deliver remarks at the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning at 10 a.m. that, according to Bloomberg, will touch on the debt limit.

In addition to the debt ceiling, lawmakers will be peppered with questions this week about the legal battle over mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill that has come under scrutiny.

A Texas judge earlier this month suspended the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, but last week, the Supreme Court briefly paused the ruling. 

House Democrats have introduced legislation to protect access to the abortion pill while Republicans on the other hand have been largely silent on the news, as the party grapples with how to message on the issue when the general electorate largely favors legal abortion access.

On 2024, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announced an exploratory campaign for the 2024 presidential election last week, putting him on the path to becoming a candidate in the race. Days later, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that he would not run for the White House in 2024, putting to bed speculation that he may throw his hat into the ring.

This all comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is widely expected to launch a 2024 campaign, travels to Washington this week. He is scheduled to meet with congressional Republicans and take part in a policy discussion during his swing through the nation’s capital.

As the year inches closer to 2024 and the GOP jockeying heats up, Republican lawmakers this week will likely be pressed on who they will back in the looming race.

House Judiciary Committee heads to NYC for hearing

The House Judiciary Committee is slated to hold a field hearing in New York City Monday morning that will focus on violent crime in Manhattan — the latest move in the Republican-led committee’s effort against the borough’s district attorney, Alvin Bragg (D), after a grand jury he empaneled voted to indict former President Trump.

The hearing — titled Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan — is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

The committee has disclosed few details previewing the event. A media advisory says it will “examine how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City residents.”

A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office slammed the hearing last week, calling it a “political stunt.”

Shortly before the hearing is set to begin, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), Rep. Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.) — the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee — and representatives from gun violence prevention organizations are scheduled to hold a press conference responding to the “stunt hearing.”

The hearing comes nearly two weeks after Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in connection to his alleged participation in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. Republicans have zeroed in on Bragg amid the historic indictment, seeking to paint him as a partisan, soft-on-crime prosecutor. A trio of House GOP chairmen have launched an investigation into Bragg.

Witnesses for Monday’s hearing include New York City Council Member Robert Holden; Madeline Brame, the chairwoman of the Victims Rights Reform Council and the mother of a homicide victim; Jennifer Harrison, founder of Victims Rights NY; Paul DiGiacomo, president of the New York City’s Detectives’ Endowment Association; Jose Alba, a former Manhattan bodega clerk; and Joseph Borgen, a victim of an anti-Semitic hate crime.

Senators to be briefed on leak of classified Pentagon documents

Senators are scheduled to receive a classified briefing this week on the leak of classified Pentagon documents that pertained to a range of topics, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and intelligence gathered from spying on allies.

The briefing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday at 3 p.m., according to a Senate Democratic aide.

Jack Teixeria, the 21-year-old suspected leaker, was charged on Friday with violating the Espionage Act and another statute that prohibits the unauthorized removal of classified documents. He did not enter a plea. The Massachusetts Air National guardsman was arrested one day earlier in connection to the posting of records on the discord group “Thug Shaker Central.”

The discovery of the documents online — and Teixeria’s subsequent arrest and charging — have raised questions about how he could have access to the classified documents.

On Friday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) vowed on Twitter that “Through our committees, Congress will get answers as to why they were asleep at the switch.”

McConnell, Fetterman return to the Senate; questions loom about Feinstein

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) are both returning to the Capitol this week after medical conditions kept them sidelined from Washington.

McConnell suffered a concussion and a minor rib fracture after he tripped and fell at a private dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C. on March 8. On Friday, NBC News spotted McConnell in the Capitol.

Fetterman is also slated to return to the Capitol on Monday after receiving treatment for clinical depression. The freshman senator checked himself into Walter Reed Medical Military Hospital in mid-February, and he was discharged on March 31.

The return of McConnell and Fetterman is a relief for Republicans and Democrats, respectively. McConnell has led Senate Republicans since 2007, and his prolonged absence raised questions about the GOP conference’s future. Fetterman’s attendance, on the other hand, brings the Democratic majority from an even split to a slim 50-49, as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) remains out of Washington as she recovers from shingles.

Speaking of Feinstein, the longtime California lawmaker is facing calls to resign from two Democratic House members as her absence holds up Senate business.

Feinstein, in response, requested that she be temporarily replaced on the Judiciary Committee, which has been unable to advance partisan nominees — a key priority for President Biden — because her absence has left the panel evenly split. That process, however, comes with little precedent.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is expected to bring up a resolution under unanimous consent this week that would call for a temporary replacement for Feinstein. But if a single senator objects, the move would then be subject to a 60-vote threshold — meaning at least 10 Republicans will have to support the replacement, which could be an uphill battle.

House legislation

House Republicans are bringing several pieces of legislation to the floor this week on topics including China, transgender athletes and a Washington, D.C. policing bill.

On Monday, the chamber is scheduled to consider a bill that would hold the People’s Republic of China accountable for violating U.S. airspace in February, when it flew a spy balloon over the continental U.S. A resolution that would condemn actions taken by Russia’s military to down a U.S. Air Force drone is also on the docket for Monday, after a Russian fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Air Force drone over the Black Sea last month.

The House this week is also scheduled to consider a disapproval resolution targeting a policing bill passed by the Washington, D.C. City Council.

On Thursday, the chamber is slated to begin considering the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would prohibit transgender girls from taking part in athletic programs or activities meant for girls.

And the House may vote this week to override President Biden’s veto of legislation passed by both chambers that seeks to undo his administration’s waterway pollution regulations. It is unlikely, however, to garner the two-thirds support necessary.

Alex Bolton contributed to this report, which was updated at 8:24 a.m.