Posts by Matt Zuiderhof

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…

Status of FY 2026 Funding Pay our Troops: The President ordered the Pentagon to find a way to pay U.S. troops. Department of Defense (DOD) officials are diverting $8 billion in previously appropriated research and development funding.  It’s not clear that the Pentagon can do this legally, but leaders in both parties are privately applauding…

The FY 26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) The Senate overcame a month-long impasse on the annual NDAA last week by agreeing on the number of standalone amendments to receive a vote. The chamber accepted some of those amendments and passed the underlying bill (S. 2296) last Thursday evening. Because the Senate bill differs from…

IRS and Treasury News The IRS furloughed nearly half of its staff last Wednesday. Most operations will close, but employees working on filing season preparation, IT, and implementation of tax provisions included in the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act will continue working, as will some in the criminal division. The administration announced that…

CBO’s Budget Review The CBO’s monthly budget review estimates that the deficit was $1.8 trillion for FY25, which is $8 billion less than the shortfall from FY24. Revenues for FY25 increased by an estimated $308 billion, or 6 percent. Outlays rose by an estimated $301 billion, or 4 percent. Return to the ASAtoday page to…

This Week In Congress The government shutdown continued, and the Senate returned to session this week; however, Speaker Johnson (R-LA) announced his intention to keep the House in recess until the government reopens, but House Minority Leader Jeffries (D-NY) asked his caucus to return to D.C. again this week. The Senate continued taking votes on…

The Government Shutdown Continues!!! On the evening preceding the government shutdown (Tuesday, September 30), the Senate conducted a second round of votes on both the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) and the alternative proposed by Senate Democrats; however, neither measure attained the requisite 60 votes to advance past a filibuster and move to consideration of the…