The House Appropriations Committee voted 32-24 Thursday to advance the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s FY23 bill, which proposes increasing CPB’s annual funding to $565 million beginning in FY 2025 (see 2206240074). The measure also includes a major increase in federal funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program.
The House Appropriations Committee voted 31-24 Tuesday to advance the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s FY 2023 bill, which includes funding increases for NTIA, other Commerce Department agencies and the DOJ Antitrust Division (see 2206270061). The committee is to vote Thursday on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee’s FY23 bill, which proposes increasing CPB’s annual funding to $565 million beginning in FY 2025 (see 2206240074). The markup session begins at 9 a.m. in 1100 Longworth.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is continuing to oppose advancing Extending America’s Spectrum Auction Leadership Act (HR-7783) over the measure’s proposed 18-month extension of the FCC’s sales authority, complicating efforts to pass a spectrum legislative package this year. Senate Commerce ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., meanwhile, is backing language in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act version that proposes “an assessment of the implications of” provisions in the NTIA Organization Act “on DOD's access to the electromagnetic spectrum and resources" (see 2206160077).
The House Appropriations Committee voted 31-22 Friday night to advance the Financial Services Subcommittee’s FY 2023 bill with increases in annual funding for the FCC and FTC. The committee voted down Republicans’ bids to roll back a proposed substantial increase in FTC funding and altered a rider in the measure that removes an FCC barrier to broadcasters airing ads for cannabis products. The measure would allocate $490 million to the FTC, a 30% increase over what it received in the FY 2022 omnibus appropriations package (see 2203150076). The FY23 bill would give the FCC $390 million, up 2.3% from FY22.
The Senate left on a two-week recess Thursday night without holding a vote Democratic leaders had considered to discharge FCC nominee Gigi Sohn from the Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction, as expected (see 2206230072). Senate Democratic leaders had eyed whether they could pursue the discharge vote because all 50 Democratic caucus members were available and a handful of Republicans were absent from the chamber (see 2206230066). Sohn’s confirmation process has been stalled since March, when the Commerce Committee tied 14-14 on advancing her to the full chamber, necessitating the discharge vote before the chamber can proceed on her confirmation. Her supporters have been eyeing ways to break the logjam (see 2206070046).
Supporters of FCC nominee Gigi Sohn were hopeful Thursday that Senate Democratic leaders might use Republican absences in the chamber as an opportunity to vote to discharge Sohn from Commerce Committee jurisdiction before the start of a two-week recess set to end July 11. Lawmakers we spoke with cast doubt on whether Sohn’s short-term confirmation prospects were improved due to continued uncertainty about the position of three undecided Democratic senators if leaders forced a vote. Sohn’s confirmation process has been stalled since March, when Senate Commerce tied 14-14 on advancing her to the full chamber (see 2203030070). Her supporters have been eyeing ways to break the logjam (see 2206070046).
The House Appropriations Committee expects the FCC to "take further action to help eliminate the potential for future interagency spectrum disputes" beyond a coordination agreement between commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson (see 2202150001), the panel said in a report accompanying the Financial Services Subcommittee's FY 2023 bill. The underlying measure (see 2203280069), set for a Friday committee vote, would give the FCC $390 million, up 2.3% from what Congress appropriated in the FY 2022 omnibus appropriations package President Joe Biden signed in March (see 2203150076). The bill would give the FTC $490 million in FY23, up 30% from FY22. The markup begins at 9 a.m. in 1100 Longworth.
Senate Democratic leaders have abandoned talk of seeking a vote this week to discharge FCC nominee Gigi Sohn from the Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction, panel Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told us Thursday night. Democratic leaders had earlier been eyeing whether they could pursue a discharge vote this week because all 50 Democratic caucus members were available and a handful of Republicans were absent from the chamber.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel now expects a final estimate of demands for money from the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program to repay U.S. carriers for removing from their networks equipment made by companies deemed a national security risk to be ready on or soon after July 15. The House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee, meanwhile, advanced by voice vote Thursday its FY 2023 bill with FCC and FTC funding mirroring what President Joe Biden is seeking for the agencies (see 2203280069). The Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee advanced by voice its FY23 bill Thursday with funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency well above what Biden sought.
The Senate Armed Services Committee’s FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act includes language seeking “an assessment of the implications of” provisions in the NTIA Organization Act “on DOD's access to the electromagnetic spectrum and resources,” the committee said Thursday. Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen, meanwhile, is urging the aviation industry to “move with all due haste to protect the fleet against known vulnerabilities to 5G C-band interference” and install “radio frequency filters” on altimeters before the July 5 expiration of the AT&T-Verizon agreement to use exclusion zones on their commercial C-band operations (see 2201030063).