What's on the Agenda?

Now that the 111th Congress has been sworn in, it's time to get down to business. What will our Representatives and Senators be working on first? Check it out...

Confirmation Hearings
One of the first matters to be taken up by the Senate is the confirmation of President-elect Obama's nominees for his Cabinet. Cabinet nominees must be approved by a simple majority (more than 50%) of the Senate. Here's the current hearing schedule:

01.08.09: Tom Daschle - Secretary of Health and Human Services
01.09.09: Representative Hilda Solis - Secretary of Labor
01.13.09: Senator Hillary Clinton - Secretary of State
01.13.09: Dr. Steven Chu - Secretary of Energy
01.13.09: Arne Duncan - Secretary of Education
01.13.09: Shaun Donovan - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
01.14.09: Eric Shinseki - Secretary of Veterans Affairs
01.14.09: Former Governor Tom Vilsack - Secretary of Agriculture
01.15.09: Eric H. Holder, Jr. - Attorney General
01.15.09: Senator Ken Salazar - Secretary of Interior
01.15.09: Governor Janet Napolitano - Secretary of Homeland Security

Still to be scheduled: Secretary of the Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner, Secretary of Transportation nominee Ray LaHood, and, with Governor Bill Richardson's withdrawal from consideration, the yet-to-be-named nominee for Secretary of Commerce.

While the majority of Obama's Cabinet selections have been relatively uncontroversial, Attorney General nominee Eric Holder faces the most potentially challenging confirmation hearing. Senate Republicans have reservations about Holder's record, particularly concerning his role, as President Clinton's Deputy Attorney General, in the controversial 11th-hour pardon of international commodities trader and Democratic Party donor Marc Rich.

SCHIP
Democratic leaders in the House are scheduling a vote for early next week on a renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP. The federal program provides states with funding for health insurance for families with children that do not qualify for Medicaid assistance but cannot afford insurance on their own. The current program, set to expire on March 31, covers approximately 6 million uninsured children; new legislation will likely expand coverage to up to 10 million children.

Congress passed a similar bill to expand the scope of SCHIP twice in 2007. Both times, the legislation was vetoed by President Bush, who objected to the cost (an additional $35 billion) and means of paying for it (a tobacco tax). Though the bill had significant bipartisan support, the House was unable to muster the two-thirds majority vote necessary to override the President's veto. President-elect Obama has indicated that he will sign the SCHIP legislation.

Economic Stimulus Package
President-elect Barack Obama has made it clear that his first priority in office is to sign a sweeping economic stimulus package to jump start the faltering economy. While the exact details have not been finalized yet, Obama is seeking bipartisan support for a plan that will combine approximately $300 billion in tax cuts to individuals and businesses with infrastructure spending and tax incentives for job creation. The total package is likely to cost around $800 billion. Obama's team will be presenting their proposal to Congressional leaders in the coming days, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that her goal is to pass the legislation by mid-February.