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 of unresolved...

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 toward core...

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 to Salt Lake...