This Week in Congress
The House voted on the FIRE Act (H.R. 6387), which would exclude wildfire mitigation activities from state emissions limits, along with several permitting reform bills:
- the American Broadband Deployment Act (H.R. 2289) would prohibit state and local authorities from blocking interstate wireless service projects and impose deadlines to approve or deny communications facilities
- the Repeal Building Energy Standards Act (H.R. 4690) would repeal energy efficiency standards requiring federal buildings to phase out fossil fuels
- the Waive Geothermal Drilling Permits Act (H.R. 5587) would waive the need for federal drilling permits for geothermal energy projects on state or private land if the projects are approved by a state permit
- H.R. 1897 would overhaul Endangered Species Act processes and permitting requirements.
- H. Res. 1182 expressing support for rural communities in the U.S.
The chamber also debated bills to implement looser permitting requirements:
- H.R. 1681 would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create an interagency strike force to prioritize reviews of applications to deploy broadband facilities on federal land
- H.R. 1343 would require the Commerce Department to develop a plan to track applications for deploying transportation, utility, or communications facilities on federal lands
- S. 98 would require the Federal Communications Commission to issue rules codifying its vetting process for applicants seeking federal funds to provide broadband to underserved areas
- S. 1020 would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend the deadline for hydropower projects that were issued a license before March 13, 2020
- Reauthorizes federal rural health grants (H.R. 2493) and telehealth grants (H.R. 3419)
- Another bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an interagency review of research on lung cancer in women and underserved communities (H.R. 2319). The remaining bills relate to federal emergency response functions.
Finally, the House considered a motion to expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) after the House Ethics Committee releases a decision on her punishment for ethics violations relating to campaign finance violations. Consideration of that motion would be paired with a motion to expel Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL), who is facing allegations of dating violence and campaign finance violations.
Meanwhile, the Senate began debate on the FY 2027 budget resolution and voted on the confirmation of Trump administration nominees.