This Week's Senate Committee Schedule

When Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gave the Democratic radio address on Saturday and pledged to keep hammering George W. Bush on Iraq, he said “No amount of name calling, hyperbole or imputation that we don’t support the troops will deter us from these goals." While this is a pretty clear signal that Iraq will again dominate Capitol Hill this week, a few committee hearings of note are occurring in the Senate.

The Appropriations Committee will hear from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on funding for the Defense Department for 2008 -- which should be interesting to hear how much money is needed in addition to the sinkhole we are feeding in Iraq.

The Intelligence Committee will again look at the FBI's use of National Security Letters and Judiciary will examine the REAL ID Act of 2005 in a hearing called "Will REAL ID Actually Make Us Safer? An Examination of Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns."

Here's the full Senate Committee schedule for the week:

Aging

May 9, 2007 at 3 p.m. To hold hearings to examine the future of Medicare, focusing on recognizing the need for chronic care coordination.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

May 9, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine farm bill policy proposals relating to farm and energy issues and rural development.

Appropriations

May 7, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the National Institutes of Health: Frontiers of Science. (Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee)

May 8, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. To hold hearings to examine the policies and funding necessary for reducing U.S. oil dependence relating to the results of an analysis conducted to assess the economic impact of implementing the Energy Security Leadership Council's recommendations to the Nation. (Energy and Water Development Subcommittee)

May 9, 2007 at 10:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the Department of Defense. (Defense Subcommittee)

May 9, 2007 at 3 p.m. To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the Internal Revenue Service. (Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee)

May 10, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine the Federal Aviation Administration's budget performance and treatment. (Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee)

May 10, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2008 for the Department of State and foreign operations. (State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee)

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

May 10, 2007 at 3 p.m. To hold hearings to examine the following nominations:

• David George Nason, of Rhode Island, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank
• Nguyen Van Hanh, of California, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank
• David George Nason, of Rhode Island, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
• Mario Mancuso, of New York, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration
• Michael W. Tankersley, of Texas, to be Inspector General, Export-Import Bank
• Bijan Rafiekian, of California, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
• Scott A. Keller, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
• Robert M. Couch, of Alabama, to be General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Janis Herschkowitz, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Consumer Cooperative Bank.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

May 8, 2007 at 10 a.m. Business meeting to consider pending calendar business.

May 9, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. To hold hearings to examine All-Terrain Vehicle (Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety Subcommittee)

May 10, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings to examine the effects of climate change and ocean acidification on living marine resources. (Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee)

Energy and Natural Resources

May 10, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine the nominations of Joseph Timothy Kelliher, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and R. Lyle Laverty, of Colorado, to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife.

Environment and Public Works

May 9, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings on "Emerging Technologies and Practices for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions."

Finance

May 8, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold an oversight hearing to examine the Medicare prescription drug benefit.

May 10, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings to examine economic issues for America's working families and middle class.

Foreign Relations

May 9, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine climate change relating to national security threats.

May 9, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. To hold hearings to examine the nominations of Dell L. Dailey, of South Dakota, to be Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank and status of Ambassador at Large, and Mark P. Lagon, of Virginia, to be Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking, with the rank of Ambassador at Large.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

May 8, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings to examine community integration and recovery, focusing on transforming mental health and substance abuse systems of care.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

May 10, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine a status report on reform efforts by the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management. (Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia Subcommittee)

May 10, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. To hold hearings to examine violent Islamist extremism, focusing on government efforts to defeat it.

Indian Affairs

May 10, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. Business meeting to consider pending legislative business.

Intelligence

May 8, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. Closed business meeting to consider certain intelligence matters.

May 10, 2007 at 2:30 p.m. To hold closed hearings to examine National Security Letters and certain intelligence matters.

Judiciary

May 8, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings to examine privacy and civil liberties concerns, focusing on the REAL ID Act: "Will REAL ID Actually Make Us Safer? An Examination of Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns"

May 9, 2007 at 10 a.m. Business meeting to consider S.376, to amend title 18, United States Code, to improve the provisions relating to the carrying of concealed weapons by law enforcement officers, and S.221, to amend title 9, United States Code, to provide for greater fairness in the arbitration process relating to livestock and poultry contracts.

May 10, 2007 at 10 a.m. To hold hearings to examine judicial nominations.

Veterans' Affairs

May 9, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. To hold hearings to examine benefits legislation.