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December Supreme Court Docket The Supreme Court is set to consider several important cases, including one about the Trump administration’s actions to reshape independent agencies and another regarding campaign finance rules. One case focuses on President Trump’s attempt to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) member, challenging a 1935 ruling that requires the president to…

Special Election Signals Matt Van Epps (R) won Tennessee’s special election by nine points, down from Trump’s 22-point margin in 2024. Despite a Republican ad campaign, Democrats closed the gap by 13 points with high turnout. If this trend continues across similar districts, Democrats may have a chance to win the House next year. While…

This Week in Congress Congress returns this week for three weeks of legislative work before recessing for the holidays on December 18th. Members of Congress have packed agendas, mirroring their holiday tables, as they return to Washington. They are striving to prevent an affordability crisis with impending spikes in health insurance premiums for millions of…

Healthcare Update Millions of Americans could face significantly higher health insurance costs next year due to the scheduled expiration of the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. While many Republicans are concerned about the potential impact on their prospects in the mid-term elections, the majority remains undecided on any course of action. Initially, President Trump stated…

FY26 Appropriations Update Senate leadership is considering merging four or five FY 2026 appropriations bills into a minibus package, which would encompass Commerce-Justice-Science, Defense, Labor-Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS), Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (THUD), and possibly Interior. Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) plans to bring this package to the floor soon, potentially this week, but more…

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Update Negotiations on the NDAA are ongoing. Given that this measure is one of the few that consistently passes at the end of each year with bipartisan support, and considering the lack of legislative movement since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the NDAA is seen as a valuable opportunity…

Successful Use of Discharge Petitions Notable for what it might signify regarding the strength of the House Speaker, Republican rank-and-file members of Congress are increasingly bypassing leadership to force House votes on their legislative priorities. The discharge petition process is available for bills that have sat in committee for at least 30 legislative days. Once…

New House Party Ratios Last week, former Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherril resigned following her election to be the next governor of New Jersey. Party ratios in the House are now 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats. Republicans continue to have a two-vote majority. The state’s current Governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, called a special election for April…

This Week in Congress! Congress will recess next week in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. This week, the House voted on eight measures including resolutions (H.J. Res. 130; H.J. Res. 131; S.J. Res. 80) to disapprove of regulations issued by the Bureau of Land Management during the last weeks of the Biden administration; two bills…

The Longest Government Shutdown Ends! The longest government shutdown in history has ended. Last Monday evening, the Senate took up the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) (H.R. 5371). Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) offered an amendment to substitute new text to incorporate three FY 2026 appropriations bills (Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs), continue funding for…