Archive for March 2026

Congress was in session this week. The House considered two bills out of the Judiciary Committee:  the Deporting Fraudsters Act (H.R. 1958), which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that aliens who  have been convicted of defrauding the U.S. Government or unlawful receipt of public benefits are inadmissible and deportable; and the…

This week, Democrats pushed for a vote on War Powers resolutions in both the House and Senate.  The 1973 War Powers Resolution allows members of Congress to either approve or oppose the use of U.S. armed forces abroad. It also sets special rules for considering these measures. War Powers resolutions can be introduced as a…

Last week, during his State of the Union address, President Trump told Congress that he would not seek new legislation to implement additional tariffs, following the Supreme Court’s decision striking down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). He claimed that he still has “time-tested and approved” authority to issue tariffs under…

Last week, Senate Republican leaders attempted to bring up the FY 2026 Homeland Security appropriations bill, along with a resolution to fund the agency and its programs at FY 2025 levels for the remainder of the fiscal year. However, initial procedural votes failed to gain enough support to move forward with consideration of the measures.…

The Senate voted on a procedural motion to advance the House-passed Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644). Following that, the Senate considered a substitute amendment, likely based on its own housing bill, the ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651). The Senate passed its bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act…

In his State of the Union address last week, President Trump did not propose many new tax or spending measures. However, he did call for legislation that is unlikely to pass with bipartisan support, including the healthcare package he unveiled on January 15.  Both Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson have warned that it will be…

Last week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act (S. 3931).  The bill, modeled on a discussion draft they issued last year, would implement an array of provisions intended to improve IRS procedure and administration, including enhanced oversight of unenrolled tax preparers,…

ASA UT strongly opposes HB 508 S3, specifically the proposed amendment to Section 63G-6a-1103 that introduces subsection 5. This new subsection would give the Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) an exemption from long-standing statutory bond protections, including performance and payment bonds. Subsection 5(b) removes the requirement for DFCM to obtain performance or payment…