Today on the Hill

Today marks the 200th anniversary of former President Abraham Lincoln's birth and a celebration in Lincon's honor will commence in the Capitol Rotunda this morning. President Obama is expected to join lawmakers around 11:30 a.m. to observe the ceremony.

The House and Senate meet at 10 a.m. to address legislative business but will recess from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. to allow members to attend the festivities commemorating Lincoln's bicentennial birthday.

Throughout the day, a slew of Senate and House committee hearings will take place.

Noteworthy Senate Committee Hearings
Banking -- on "Modernizing Consumer Protection in the Financial Regulatory System: Strengthening Credit Card Protections," 10 a.m.

Budget -- on "Senate Procedures for Consideration of the Budget Resolution/Reconciliation," 10 a.m. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) is among those to testify.

Senate (Select) Intelligence Committee -- on the "Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States," 2:30 p.m. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair is among those to testify.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs -- on "Structuring National Security and Homeland Security at the White House," 10 a.m. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Frances Townsend, former assistant to President George W. Bush for homeland security and counterterrorism will testify.

Key House Committee Hearings

Armed Services -- Meets to address U.S. strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, 10:30 a.m. , Managing director of the Government Accountability Office's Defense Capabilities and Management Team will testify along with foreign policy experts.

Energy Commerce -- "The Climate Crisis: National Security, Economic, and Public Health Threats," 10 a.m. Former CIA Director James Woolsey is among those to testify.

House Foreign Affairs -- Meets to address U.S. relations with North Korea, 1 p.m.

House Foreign Affairs --on postwar Gaza: "Gaza After the War: What Can Be Built on the Wreckage?," 9:30 a.m. Those testifying include Director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy David Makovsky, Ziad Asali, president and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine and other Mideast experts.

By Sarah Lovenheim |  February 12, 2009; 7:43 AM ET