Washington Watch, Week of Aug. 3

Congress is on a month-long August break with a lot of unfinished business to face when it reconvenes in September. This includes an immigration bill acceptable to both chambers and the White House, and a way to fund the federal government past the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30.

Connecticut lawmakers will campaign, hold local events and maybe even take a vacation  during the break, which congressional leaders like to call four “district work weeks.”

Meanwhile President Obama will hold a summit with African leaders at the White House and is expected to sign a sweeping Department of Veterans Affairs bill into law.

Monday. Aug. 4:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District,  will introduce a bill at the site of a Sikorsky subcontractor, Spectrum Associates, Inc. in Milford, that would re-impose and expanding sanctions on Russia’s state-owned arms  dealer,  Rosoboronexport. The Russian company is producing helicopters for the Pentagon to give to the Afghan military. Sikorsky wants the business.

Also on Monday, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, will  award a  host of service medals to Marty Schames,  a World War II veteran of the United States Army Air Corps. The ceremony will take place at the Noank Veteran’s Memorial

 Wednesday, Aug. 6:

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, is hosting two Medicare information sessions with the National Committee to Preserve and Protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors in Cheshire and Meriden.

Thursday, Aug. 7:

In a rare hearing during a congressional break, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on “Combating the Ebola Threat” with Tom Frieden, the head of the Centers for Disease Control, as a key witness.