Senate Breaks for August After Nominations Stalemate

Lawmakers in both chambers will resume legislative business this afternoon following a brief President’s Day district work period. On the House floor this week, Democratic leadership has teed up a pair of measures aimed at strengthening the nation’s gun background check system. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act […]

In response to President Trump’s southern border national emergency declaration, House Democrats are set to introduce a resolution of disapproval that would reject the President’s declaration. It’s the first move in a series of potential legislative and legal maneuvers by Congressional Democrats to block President Trump from circumventing Congress to fund a wall on the […]

The Week in Review The House (300-128) and Senate (83-16) overwhelmingly passed a compromise spending measure (text; summary) to avert a second partial government shutdown last week. The bill was signed by President Trump, who simultaneously issued a national emergency declaration in order to tap into Congressionally appropriated funds for additional border security spending, including: (1) […]

Border security negotiators unveiled a compromise spending deal (text; summary) late last night as lawmakers sprint to clear the bill ahead of tomorrow’s funding deadline. While lawmakers on both sides have crowed over the deal for omitting their respective policy priorities, the measure is expected to clear both chambers in order to avoid a second […]

Lawmakers are poised to unveil details of a comprehensive border security deal that they hope will prevent a partial government shutdown ahead of Friday’s deadline. The deal — headlined by a Homeland Security appropriations bill including $1.375 billion in border security funding — is expected to be signed by President Trump once it passes both chambers […]

Congress will return to Washington today as lawmakers scramble to fund the government ahead of Friday’s deadline. Despite optimism heading into the weekend about reaching a border security deal and funding the government past the Feb. 15 deadline, negotiators of the bipartisan border security Conference Committee indicated Sunday that the talks have hit an impasse […]

Members of the bipartisan border security conference committee are reportedly close to clinching a deal that would not provide President Trump with his $5.7 border wall request but would avert a second shutdown. The proposal — which could be unveiled later today or Monday — would keep the government funded and provide additional border security […]

Senators are set to begin consideration of a bipartisan federal lands package championed by conservation advocacy groups. The Natural Resources Management Act (S.47) would permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) — a program that uses federal oil and gas royalties from offshore drilling to fund acquisitions and easements of land and water […]

Congress returns this week as lawmakers resume border security Conference Committee negotiations. The odds of another funding lapse were raised after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) emphasized that the Democratic border security proposal will not include funding for President Trump’s border wall priority. If the Conference Committee is unable to produce a deal that appeases President Trump, the President has reiterated he […]

The odds of another partial government shutdown were raised yesterday after Democrats unveiled their initial border security proposal. The plan — which does not include funding for President Trump’s border wall priority — would allocate new funding for: (1) modernizing Border Patrol technology and infrastructure; (2) hiring 1,000 customs officers; and (3) “humanitarian” needs such as […]

House and Senate lawmakers began negotiations yesterday in hopes of striking a border security compromise, yet a bipartisan agreement remains elusive. In addition to the debate over President Trump’s $5.7 billion border wall priority, lawmakers have been hamstrung over the possibility of adding deals on immigration policy and the debt limit to the underlying negotiations. […]

Both chambers of Congress are set to resume legislative business today following the contentious 35-day government shutdown. In the House, lawmakers will take up three suspension bills out of the Financial Services Committee: (1) a bill (H.R. 624) that would require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to carry out a study of Rule 10b5–1 […]