December 19, 2019 — Don’t expect bill markups or votes on presidential nominees in January during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, the chairmen of Senate committees responsible for energy and environment legislation and related nominees said Dec. 18.
“It’s my understanding that committees are not going to be able to report to the floor bills during that period of time,” Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters.
Still under discussion, Barrasso said, is whether committees during the impeachment trial are “going to be able to have hearings or not, on what topics, and what legislation we’ll be able to pursue.”
The House on Dec. 18 was debating two articles of impeachment against Trump, with final impeachment votes were scheduled in the evening.
Morning Hearings
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she expects the committee will be able to hold hearings in the morning up until about noon or so for days the Senate is in session in January.
“I don’t believe you can mark up bills” when the Senate is holding its impeachment trial, she said, though committees could continue to conduct oversight and hearings on both bills and nominees.