Archive for October 2025

This Week in Congress! The Senate was in session, but the House remained out of session, but Democratic leaders have asked their caucus to return to D.C. this week anyway. Senate leadership considered the House-passed CR again this week. The Senate voted on bills that would appropriate funds for military pay (S. 3030) and essential…

Status of FY 2026 Government Funding As a reminder, the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to temporarily extend government funding at current levels is set to last through November 21. Although this timeframe might have been sufficient for negotiating and passing some appropriations bills had the CR been enacted into law in September, the prolonged government…

Possible Healthcare Package? Last week, a senior White House aide informed reporters that President Trump is not interested in expanding the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. Instead, he is urging Congress to pass a broader legislative package aimed at making healthcare more affordable. However, Republicans have repeatedly attempted and failed to achieve this since the…

Congress Passed a Bipartisan Tax Bill Last week, the Senate unanimously and unexpectedly passed the IRS Math Act (H.R. 998). Since the House had already approved the bill by voice vote in April, it now awaits the President’s signature. This measure authorizes the IRS to adjust tax assessments for mathematical or clerical errors, mandates clear…

This Week in Congress! This week, the Senate was in session and the House leadership cancelled votes. That chamber has now been out of session for a month, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says he will not bring Members back until the shutdown ends. The Senate continued voting on the House-passed CR this week. Leadership…

Government Shutdown Continues! The current government shutdown is now the longest full shutdown in U.S. history and the third longest overall. The resolution remains uncertain as both parties remain steadfast in their positions. Base voters are urging their parties to adopt even firmer stances. Despite threats from the White House that furloughed employees might not…

FY2026 Appropriations Bills Last Thursday, Senate leadership brought the House-passed defense appropriations bill (H.R. 4016) to the floor for an initial procedural vote, called a cloture vote.  That motion failed to win the required 60 votes that would have allowed the chamber to move to consideration of the underlying measure.  All but three Democrats voted…

The Battle over Swearing-In New House Member  To date, Speaker Johnson has refused to swear-in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva (D), who won an Arizona special election held on September 23.  Johnson says that he will not swear her in until the House is back in session. Democrats note that earlier this year, the Speaker swore in…

Tariffs on Vehicles, their Parts, and Buses On Friday, President Trump signed a Proclamation invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Act) to impose tariffs on imports of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and parts, and buses, to bolster American industry and protect national security. The Proclamation imposes a 25% tariff on imports…

This Week in Congress! Originally, the Senate was scheduled to be on a break this week, but has reconvened due to the ongoing government shutdown. The House canceled votes this week, but Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has asked his caucus to return to D.C. Speaker Johnson continues to refuse to swear in Grijalva, who…