Today on the Hill: Before Recess, TSCA Holdup in Senate; House Shoots Down Energy-Water Spending Bill

Both chambers are leaving Washington today ahead of a weeklong recess in honor of Memorial Day. Yesterday, both the House and Senate experienced frustrations in their attempts to advance legislation before the holiday. House lawmakers from both parties objected to amendments added to the Water-Energy Development spending bill (H.R. 5055), ultimately leading to the measure’s failure on a 112-305 vote. On a more positive note, the House named conferees for an energy efficiency bill (S. 2012) passed by the chamber on Wednesday that would streamline natural gas permitting and modernize the nation’s electrical grid. 

In the Senate, a bipartisan bill (H.R. 2576) rewriting a 40-year-old law governing the regulation of toxic substances used in the manufacture of consumer products was stalled as Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) objected to sending the legislation to the president’s desk. The former presidential candidate said that he needed more time to study the 180-page bill that would “create a new federal regulatory scheme.” The bill will likely be near the top of the Senate’s agenda when the chamber returns and remains on track for final passage with support from most senators of both parties.

The Senate is scheduled to return from the brief recess on Monday, June 6, with the House slated to reconvene a day later on Tuesday, June, 7.  

‘Today on the Hill’ includes updates provided by the House and Senate majority leaders, as well information derived from publications including Bloomberg Government, The Hill, Morning Consult, Kaiser Health News, Modern Healthcare, Inside Health Policy, and others.