Congressional Calendar July 27, 2010

Tony Hayward will not be BP CEO for much longer, but Congress is still hard at work investigating the massive oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico under his watch.

In the morning, the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee holds a hearing on the impact the disaster is having on tourism along the Gulf Coast. The oil industry in the gulf is also facing fallout from the spill. A six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by the Obama Administration continues to affect producers and refiners in the region. A cadre of oil workers and advocacy groups plan to take their grievances to the Senate Committee on Small Business at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and the rest of the Foreign Relations Committee invite a panel of experts to help evaluate options for reconciliation in Afghanistan.

The man selected to replace Gen. David Petraeus at CENTCOM headquarters has his confirmation hearing at 3:00 p.m. ET. Marine Gen. James Mattis hopes to lead the combatant command responsible for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Known as the “Warrior Monk,” he currently heads the combatant command tasked with transforming the military through experimentation and integration.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will attempt to invoke cloture on the DISCLOSE Act. The bill, which supporters say will increase transparency in third party political ads, does not appear to have the votes to pass, but is a popular cause among the Democratic base. Critics say it is an attempt to curtail free speech and has too many carve outs for unions and other large interest groups.

The House will continue to wrangle over the future of former Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. Rangel is facing increasing pressure from his caucus to resolve the ethical issues before him ahead of an adjudicatory subcommittee meeting on his alleged misconduct Thursday.

Senate Leaders hold their weekly policy forums at the Ohio Clock stakeout location. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will start the festivities at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET. Sen. Reid will follow afterwards.

It’s likely to be a busy day on Capitol Hill, so stay with Fox News for all the latest.