Congressional Calendar July 14, 2010

It’s all about the economy Wednesday on the Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and a group of Democratic senators will highlight their efforts to jump-start the economy with a press conference to highlight a series of recently passed small business tax credits. House Republicans will counter that at a 10:00 a.m. ET newser to say that the Democrats only offer more deficit spending, not solutions to America’s economic problems. Not to be outdone, Senators Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., will meet at 1:00 p.m. ET to accuse Senate Republicans of protecting tax loopholes for CEOs and opposing tax cuts for small businesses.

The Joint Economic Committee meets at 2:00 p.m. ET with Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, to evaluate the impact of the stimulus act and discuss the short- and long-term economic picture.

On a personal finance note, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee holds a hearing on airline fees, which seem to include a charge for almost everything other than the seatbelt and the screaming child in the seat next to you nowadays. The CEOs of two budget carriers, Spirit and Southwest, along with representatives from the travel agency industry are set to testify.

Wednesday afternoon the Senate Foreign Relations Committee evaluates the progress of the civilian side of the conflict in Afghanistan with special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Pakistan Ryan Crocker. Holbrooke is expected to get tough questions from committee Democrats, who are looking for a strategy to end to the nation’s longest war.

We’ll be hitting these stories from all angles, so be sure to stay with Fox News for the latest.