Rep. Charles Rangel’s (D-N.Y.) open trial before an ethics subcommittee
begins Thursday.
This rare public session is expected to be largely
organizational — so far there are no indications on how long the trial will
go on — and it comes after the House ethics committee officially charged
Rangel with ethics violations last week. At a hastily-called press
conference on Friday, Rangel revealed little about the trial, but said,
“Come Thursday, we all will be able to move forward together.”
{mosads}Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed cloture on
the Disclose Act late Thursday night so a Senate vote on the
Democrats’ campaign-finance legislation could come as early as Tuesday.
The House has passed a version of the bill but Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
filed a version in his chamber that contains significant changes. If
it passes the Senate, it will have to go to a conference committee.
President Obama heads to New Jersey on Wednesday for
economic events and to Michigan on Friday, while Vice President Joe Biden will
be in Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon to examine Recovery Act projects.
Expect several big names on Capitol Hill next week for
hearings. The chairmen of the Federal Trade Commission and Federal
Communications Commission, along with representatives from Apple, Google,
AT&T and Facebook, will talk online privacy Tuesday, while FBI
Director Robert Mueller will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Monday, July 26
• Obama will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the
Americans with Disabilities Act. The event will include performances by
Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Patti LaBelle and Marlee Matlin, and remarks by Marca
Bristo, president of Access Living; White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett
and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes,
according to a press release.
• Biden will be in Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon on Monday and Tuesday
to survey Recovery Act projects.
Tuesday, July 27
• Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) will mark up his first defense appropriations
bill as chairman of the Appropriations Defense subcommittee. The 1:30 p.m.
meeting will be a closed session.
• The chairmen of the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications
Commission, along with representatives from Apple, Google, AT&T and
Facebook, are scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on
online privacy. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
• Oklahoma holds its primary. Rep. Mary Fallin is running for the Republican
gubernatorial nomination and is expected to win it. Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Dan Boren faces a primary
challenge, but Boren has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and
the NRA and is expected to win the nomination. Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
• A Senate Appropriations’ subcommittee will markup the
2011 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, at
10:30 a.m.
• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a nomination hearing
for several ambassador nominees, at 2:15 p.m.
• The Senate Environment and Public Works Water and Wildlife Subcommittee
will hold a hearing to assess the natural resource damages resulting from
the Gulf oil spill, at 2:30 p.m.
• A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a
hearing looking into the oil spill’s effects on tourism in the Gulf Coast, at 10 a.m.
• Education Secretary Arne Duncan will discuss education reform efforts
at a National Press Club luncheon, at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 28
• Obama will travel to New Jersey, where he will discuss the economy in
the Edison area. He’ll be in New York City that evening for a Democratic
National Committee fundraiser.
• Mueller will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m.
for a hearing on FBI oversight.
• The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on
the circumstances surrounding the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel
Basset Mohamed al-Megrahi, at 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 29
• Obama will deliver a major education reform speech at the National Urban
League 100th Anniversary Convention in Washington, according to the White
House.
• A subcommittee of the House ethics committee will hold an
open organization meeting in preparation of trying Rangel on
ethics charges.
• The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, at 10 a.m., will
look into the implementation of Iran sanctions and focus on efforts to
discourage companies from doing business with Iran.
• Former Defense Secretary William Perry and former National Security Advisor
Stephen Hadley, co-chairman of the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent
Panel, will testify before the House Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m.
on the review.
Friday, July 30
• Obama will visit Chrysler and General Motors Plants in Detroit
and Hamtramck, Mich.
• The House is expected to adjourn for the August recess.
—Jordan Fabian and Roxana Tiron contributed to this article.