Congress Returns To Capitol Hill With Long To Do List After 2 Week Break

Capitol Hill is again buzzing with activity as Congress returns from a two-week break with a long 'to do' list and the Supreme Court hears arguments in cases of both national and local import.

The Court heard arguments Monday morning in Kennedy v. Bremerton, a case on whether a high school football coach praying at the 50-yard line is protected religious expression and free speech. On Wednesday, the Justices will hear arguments in Oklahoma v. Castro Huerta, a case that grew out of the 2020 McGirt decision and will determine whether the state can prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes in Indian Country.

Congress, meanwhile, is expected to take up a request for additional funding to support Ukraine with both military and humanitarian aid. The $13.6 billion members approved in March has been nearly exhausted, President Biden said last week. The amount of supplemental funding the administration will request is not yet known.

There is also the matter of additional funding to combat the ongoing COVID pandemic. Congress was preparing to vote on a $10 billion package before going on break, but Senate leadership pulled the bill off the floor when Republicans -- with support from some moderate Democrats -- demanded that it be coupled with a vote on a measure to delay the administration's planned lifting of Title 42 authority on the Mexican border. The Trump-era policy has allowed border authorities to expel migrants based on a risk that they could spread a communicable disease.

The issue of dramatically increased illegal border crossings will also be in sharp focus Thursday as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appears before the House Judiciary Committee.