OUR PERSPECTIVES

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to mark up its version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 this morning, kicking off one of Congress's most consistently bipartisan infrastructure efforts. The timing is particularly noteworthy: just one day before the House markup, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the Senate's bipartisan WRDA

In today's political environment, few organizations can successfully advance federal policy priorities on their own. A closely divided Congress, limited legislative bandwidth, and increasing demands on policymakers have fundamentally changed how advocacy works in Washington. As a result, coalition advocacy has become one of the most effective tools for influencing federal policy. Coalitions bring together organizations with shared interests to advocate around common goals.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) will have three comment periods close over the next couple of weeks -- one on protections against forced labor, one on intellectual property and Vietnam, and one on the U.S. - China Board of Trade. One more, focusing on excess capacity -- foreign countries producing too much product unnecessarily—has yet to be formally announced. Each is consequential as they may be the last platform this year to advocate for/against tariffs and e

The House and Senate are working their way through big-ticket bills. The National Defense Authorization Act and appropriations bills are must-pass legislation that are often over 1,000 pages each. For those closely tracking these bills, it’s tempting to quickly check if their core priority is included and move on. Both for single-issue advocates and for those not closely tracking these bills, it’s important not to sleep on this legislation and its attached amendments. For eac

The advocacy business is more of an art than a science, and, unfortunately, not everyone enters the policymaking space the right way. Here are 5 common mistakes for new entrants: Counting Meetings: There is often a feeling that the number of meetings is important; the more meetings, the better the chances of victory. In some cases, this could be true, but in most cases it is not. Focusing on the right meetings, not the meeting count, is important in getting the issue ac

At the end of May, the Office of Management and Budget released a sweeping proposed rule with remarkably little fanfare. If finalized, it would codify directives from recent executive orders and fundamentally change how federal research grants are selected, distributed, and administered. Here are some of the directives under the proposed rule: Political Pre-Issuance Review of All Discretionary Awards: Under the proposed rule, agency heads must designate one or more senior pol

Lame duck sessions are often associated with uncertainty in Washington. With elections decided and a new Congress preparing to take office, lawmakers frequently face competing political incentives, compressed timelines, and a deadlocked legislative agenda. Generally, that combination often produces short-term extensions and unfinished business pushed into the following Congress. This year, however, the lame duck session could prove more productive than usual. A growing list o

Over the weekend, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee released the text of the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan five-year reauthorization proposal that would shape federal transportation policy through 2031. The legislation authorizes roughly $580 billion for highways, bridges, transit, rail, and safety programs while advancing several major policy reforms tied to project delivery, innovation, and Highway Trust Fund solvency. The proposal reflects a shift t

The House, Senate, and White House are all vocally supportive of substantial permitting reform policy. However, the pathway to get there varies drastically in the House and Senate. The House passed the SPEED Act last year, which makes significant changes to NEPA. The PERMIT Act, which also passed last year, amends the Clean Water Act. On top of these comprehensive bills, House leadership is moving forward with piecemeal bills that address everything from changes to FERC and g

Headlines would tell you that Washington, DC is gridlocked with very little moving. However, several recent developments are telling a different story. The Farm Bill, a bill that authorizes all of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and must pass every five years (although it has now been pushed back multiple years), just passed the House with a bipartisan vote. The Senate is likely to release its version soon. Meanwhile, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee is

With six months until the 2026 election, campaigns are busy building messaging and avoiding political risk, where possible. While a lot can change between now and Election Day, here are five things to be aware of as campaigns enter the busy season: The Affordability Election: It is no surprise that economic issues remain at the top of voters' minds. This year, costs and inflation are the biggest concerns for Americans. A recent Gallup poll found that 31% of respondents

We are once again in appropriations season, which means that administration leaders face Congress to justify the President’s Budget. For some political appointees, this is the first time they’ve returned since their nomination hearings, and elected officials have questions. While the goal of the hearings is to learn about the priorities, the questions are generally a free-for-all. This is a chance for both Republicans and Democrats to ask about hometown priorities and voice s

The House Appropriations Committee will convene a key oversight hearing later today to examine the U.S. Forest Service’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, with testimony from Chief Tom Schultz. The hearing represents one of Congress’s primary opportunities to scrutinize both the administration’s funding priorities and the agency’s evolving direction. This will be Schultz’s first public testimony since the announcement of the relocation of the agency’s headquarters

When policymakers return to Washington, DC, after the Easter Recess, they will have quite an agenda waiting for them. April and May will be busy on Capitol Hill, and here is a brief update on what to expect when Congress returns: Analysis and Hearings Around the President’s Budget Request: President Trump will send his proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget to Congress on April 3 rd . These budget documents will outline his funding priorities and broader policy priorities in so

It’s easy to watch the headlines or the news and assume every policy in DC falls along partisan lines. But look a little closer, and you can easily find exceptions to that assumption. Many issues at their core have strong bipartisan support; it’s just finding the policy solutions that take work and compromise to bring both sides to the table. Breaking through requires stakeholders and congressional champions to be strategic in how they position and advance an issue. The issue

Republicans are kickstarting another reconciliation package, which means everything is back on the table. While some elements are likely to be included, such as SAVE America Act provisions that meet budget rules and funding tied to Iran, major questions remain. Reconciliation is one of the few opportunities for the party in power to move a wide range of priorities in a single vehicle. This reconciliation process is no different. While the Senate Byrd Bath requires that all pr

Last week, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis released its annual update on how the outdoor recreation sector contributes to state and national economies. We’re approaching 10 years since Congress unanimously passed the REC Act and directed BEA to produce this data. By now, for the industry, it’s like waiting for a report card. And in 2024, the sector showed resilience (data for 2025 will be out in the fall). On an inflation-adjusted basis, the sector’s c

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced new investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to identify unfair trade practices. These investigations -- similar to those under the first Trump Administration -- will likely be used to justify new country-specific Section 301 tariffs. The Administration has targeted the investigations at the following countries: China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Th

Every spring, Washington shifts into appropriations mode. Talk to any frenzied Hill staffer right now, and you’ll know that we’re in the midst of it. As it goes every year, the White House releases the President’s Budget, Congress begins soliciting funding requests, and appropriators begin hearings. For many organizations, this season is focused on one thing – securing funding. However, even if you’re not pursuing congressionally directed spending or increased programmatic fu

Check out the most recent #RuralReport for details on the House's recently marked-up farm bill and the possibility of additional farm aid being attached to the Iran funding supplement. Click here to download the full PDF version of the Rural Report.