Month: March 2025

A pair of competing government funding strategies are emerging as Congress brushes up against next Friday’s deadline. Specifically, the “four corners” leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are reportedly on the cusp of an agreement on topline spending figures for fiscal year (FY) 2025, a critical precursor to the development appropriations bills that could theoretically ride in a series of “minibus” spending packages. However, this approach has thus far been rebuffed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who stated yesterday that he plans to move forward with a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) for the remainder of this fiscal year, per President Trump’s request. Text for the House GOP CR is expected over the weekend, according to House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK).

• What’s next? Under the current timeline, Speaker Johnson is pushing to bring up the clean CR for a vote under “regular order” early next week, with the final vote likely to occur on Tuesday. Democratic support for this CR is expected to be limited, especially if a bipartisan agreement on topline funding numbers is announced prior to the vote. If the House manages to pass the clean CR, indications are that there could be enough Democrats willing to cross over to join Republicans in support to provide the measure with the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster in the Senate.
• On the floor. The Senate will meet today to resume consideration of pending presidential nominees, including Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be Secretary of Labor. A procedural vote on former Rep. Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination is expected during today’s session, and she is expected to advance with cross-party support. Some Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), could opt to vote no given her previous co-sponsorship of the PRO Act in the 118th Congress. Additionally, the Senate will hold a final up-or-down vote on Troy Edgar’s nomination to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Finally, senators will take a procedural vote on legislation to classify fentanyl into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Meanwhile, the House met this morning to clear a Senate-passed Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution overturning a Biden era regulation relating to ‘‘Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources.’’ Lawmakers also voted to censure Rep. Al Green (D-TX) for his conduct during President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress.

It was business as usual from President Donald Trump during last night’s record-length joint address to Congress as he sought to rally the “GOP trifecta” on his accomplishments over the course of his first couple of months back in office, as well as his legislative agenda. The president reiterated familiar promises and demands from the campaign trail, and defended the activities of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” or DOGE. Of note, he called on Congress to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) permanently in addition to no tax on tips, overtime pay, Social Security benefits, and car loans for autos made in the U.S. However, President Trump did not delve into specifics on some of the “must have” tax policies like removing the cap on the state and local tax deduction, nor did he weigh in on potential cuts to public benefit programs such as Medicaid.

• Situational awareness. While Joint Addresses like these can be void of specific policy details, the President’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2026 will provide a more comprehensive overview of what the White House hopes to accomplish through the government funding process. However, the Trump administration is already well behind the statutorily required deadline, and rumors suggest that the president’s FY 2026 request might not be released until the middle of May.
• Sad note. Sylvester Turner (D-TX), elected to replace the late Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX) in Texas’s 18th congressional district, passed away late last night.
• On the floor. The Senate will meet today for a vote on a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule relating to “Defining Larger Participants of a Market for General-Use Digital Consumer Payment Applications.” Additionally, senators will resume consideration of pending presidential nominees, starting with Todd Blanche to be Deputy Attorney General today. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also filed a procedural vote on Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination to lead the Department of Labor. Meanwhile, the House will consider a pair of CRA resolutions pertaining to energy efficiency standards for appliances, as well as pollutant rules for rubber tires.