This Week In Washington DC, July 24, 2014

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories

1.      House GOP leadership aims to tackle 4 key issues ahead of the August recess: a short-term spending bill to keep government funded and operating at current levels beyond Oct. 1; Republicans' funding and policy response to the president's supplemental request; reforms to the embattled Veterans Affairs Department; and formal authorization of Speaker John Boehner's lawsuit over Obama's use of executive actions.

Look ahead: President Obama dispatched a team of Defense and Homeland Security department officials to determine the efficacy of a National Guard deployment to the border, and on Friday will host Central American presidents Friday to discuss joint efforts to stem the tide of undocumented arrivals.

2.      The conflict in Ukraine intensified this week, as 2 Ukrainian fighter jets were shot down near the Russian border, allegedly with missiles fired from inside Russia, just days after a Malaysia Airlines plane was struck, apparently by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 on board.

Look ahead: The bodies of dozens of MH17 victims arrived in the Netherlands, where investigators will work to identify the victims and return them to relatives.

3.      Israel escalated its military operation in Gaza, launching a ground offensive and continuing aerial bombardment, as the death toll topped 600 Palestinians and 30 Israelis. Diplomats from the United States, Israel, and several Middle Eastern states proposed an immediate cease-fire in exchange for economic assistance, but Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal demands an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza as a prerequisite.

Look ahead: The U.N. Security Council, which held an emergency meeting on the conflict Sunday, voiced "serious concern" over the number of civilian casualties and called for an immediate end to hostilities.

4.      A 3-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled the federal government may not subsidize the insurance premiums of individuals receiving coverage through the federal exchange, while a panel of the Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held the Internal Revenue Service rule establishing the subsidies is "a permissible exercise of the agency's discretion."

Look ahead: The administration could seek a review.  Additional cases are pending in other courts, and the Supreme Court could take up one or more of the cases. Finally, Congress could clarify the relevant language in the ACA, or more states could set up their own exchanges.

5.      Former Dollar General CEO David Perdue edged 11-term Rep. Jack Kingston in the GOP runoff for Georgia's open Senate seat, garnering 51% of the vote and setting up a general-election battle against Democrat Michelle Nunn.

Look ahead: A victory for Nunn could help Democrats lock up control of the Senate, but Republicans haven't lost a major race in the state in over a decade.