The House is on recess until Monday. The Senate will be back in session and will work through appropriations bills and Trump nominees.
HOUSEKEEPING UPDATE — A new closed captioning service funded through the Modernization Initiatives Account is now available for committee hearings. Using a QR code, attendees can see real-time captions on their committee room screens. Previously, committees used an in-house captioning system with a much lower accuracy rate.
A HOUSE PROGRESSIVES JOIN THE FOOD BOYCOTT — The Congressional Progressive Staff Association is joining the boycott of the chamber’s new food vendors, which don’t pay union-negotiated wages and benefits. The group says the move is in solidarity with the House’s janitorial and kitchen workers, who are attempting to reclaim their contracts from new subcontractors. The boycott includes Starbucks, Common Grounds coffee shop, Jimmy John’s, CHA Street Food and PX Tacos.
STATEMENT FROM SENATOR JOHN KENNEDY — He opposes including money to fund Congress in the minibus senators are working on before they givel out for their August recess. The measure is the last one in line to pass before the Sept. 30 government shutdown cliff.
To do its job, Congress must be able to devote time to both district and legislative work. That requires calendar changes that minimize travel days and procedural reforms that optimize members’ time when they are in Washington. A key step toward that goal is eliminating the number of committee scheduling conflicts, which force members to “ping pong” between meetings and limits their ability to conduct thorough oversight. The 118th Congress is taking some steps to tackle this issue, but more needs to be done.