When Congress Returns, the Agenda is Big

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 some cases. We expect, for example, requests for large increases for the Department of Defense and further budget tightening around non-defense spending. Committees will spend a significant amount of time in hearings with department and agency leaders to better understand specific details around budget requests.  However, Congress never takes the President’s Budget Request to the House floor, so expect this process to be informative in terms of the President’s priorities, but not something that will ever be signed into law.

DHS Funding: Without a new agreement in place, House and Senate leadership have agreed to return to the negotiating table to find a solution that, at least, funds a portion of the Department.  This could come quickly, but longer-term policy reforms – a priority for Democrats – still remain unresolved.   

FY 2027 Appropriations:  The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will soon begin their work on developing funding bills, although an extension beyond the September 30^th deadline is very likely needed – the growing difficulty in advancing appropriations, combined with the looming election, will make getting bills across the finish line in time almost impossible. 

Farm Bill:  The House Committee on Agriculture passed the Farm Bill with a bipartisan vote.  Bringing the bill to the House floor will likely require Democratic votes (especially if there is any hope of getting the Senate to consider it).  There is hope among the Committee Republicans that the House will bring the bill to the floor in April; if it passes the Senate will begin to advance their own process. 

Surface Transportation Reauthorization:  The “Highway Bill” is scheduled to be reauthorized by the end of September, but many believe it will need an extension.  Nevertheless, both the House and Senate are working on language and hoping to release some text relatively soon (exact timing TBD). There is a lot that goes into building and passing such a bill, especially from a funding standpoint. This is a bill that traditionally brings tangible wins back to states and congressional districts, but it also has many policy issues (and questions around programmatic prioritization) that often fuel disagreements. Committee members will be pushing hard to get this done, but it remains up in the air until language is reviewed by stakeholders and rank-and-file policymakers.

Housing Legislation:  The House and Senate have both passed their own housing bills, and the most recent movement was the Senate sending their version to the House.  Nothing has happened since, although discussions around a conference have emerged. The reality here is that the House and Senate seemingly have large differences on consequential issues (including institutional investment in single-family rental housing).  This was on a path for a bipartisan win, but it is increasingly in a difficult policy space to move. 

FISA Reauthorization: Congress needs to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was first passed in 2008.  This legislation authorizes surveillance of foreigners abroad, but it is often at the center of congressional debates any time there is a need to reauthorize it.  This year will be no different. 

American the Beautiful Act:  Reauthorizing the Legacy Restoration Fund, which was originally a part of the Great American Outdoors Act, will help provide significant resources and investment into public lands that benefit the $1.3 trillion outdoor recreation economy. This remains a popular initiative in the House and Senate and will be a big priority for many across partisan lines.  It will take a strong push, however, in an era of competing priorities and funding shortfalls…but this policy space has a track record of success. 

Reconciliation 2.0:  Republican leadership is increasingly focused on seeking to advance a second reconciliation package (largely because it would not require Democratic votes).  Theoretically, this is a smart play by Republicans, but the hill to climb here is steep to say the least.  The slim House majority, alone, is a hurdle that may not be overcome, and the looming election means that whatever is included needs to have political benefit and no risk. 

So, there is a big agenda for these policymakers when they return.  Not everything will get done, but the long list of priorities will be tough to manage for both parties.