Social Security Child Protection: The House passed H.R.5348, which would combat child identity theft by allowing immediate replacement of a child's Social Security card if compromised, providing faster protection than current processes, and addressing gaps in government resources for families facing this issue.

No New Burma Funds: The House passed H.R.4423, which would mandate that the United States use its voice and vote to continue the World Bank’s pause on disbursements and new financing commitments to the government of Burma. This pause was initiated after a military coup overthrew the democratically elected government of Burma in 2021.  

Small Business Regulatory Reduction: The House passed H.R.2965 (223-190), which would require the Small Business Administration to report annually on the regulatory costs on small businesses, aiming to expose and limit the burden of excessive red tape and compliance obstacles harming Main Street America.

DUMP Red Tape: The House passed H.R.4305 (269-146), which would create a permanent "Red Tape Hotline" for small businesses to report burdensome federal regulations directly to the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy. It aims to streamline feedback, require annual reports to Congress on problematic rules, and supports a deregulatory agenda, empowering small businesses to cut through red tape affecting their growth. 

Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS): The House passed H.R.1005 (242-176), which would prohibit public elementary and secondary schools, as a condition of receiving federal elementary and secondary education funds, from accepting funds from or entering into a contract with the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or any individual or entity acting on behalf of the Chinese government or the CCP. The bill also requires schools to disclose funding from or contracts with a foreign source to the Department of Education.

PROTECT Our Kids: The House passed H.R.1069 (247-164), which aims to prevent federal education funding for any elementary or secondary school that directly or indirectly receives support from the Chinese government, including through Confucius Institutes or Confucius Classrooms.

Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education: The House passed H.R.1049 (247-166), which would increase transparency around foreign influence and funding in K-12 public schools, requiring local educational agencies to inform parents about foreign donations and influence. The bill aims to ensure parents know about foreign entities (especially adversarial ones like China) funding or influencing their children's public education.

Coastal Plains Oil and Gas Leasing Program: The Senate passed H.J.Res.131 (49-45), which would repeal a rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), issued on December 9, 2024, and related to the record of decision (ROD) for the program that leases, develops, produces, and transports oil and gas in and from the Coastal Plain program area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Interior Department's 2024 rule limited the amount of land in the Alaska wildlife refuge that could be leased for oil and gas development. The bill passed the House in November and now heads to President Trump’s desk, where he is expected to sign it.

 For additional information or an opinion ballot on any issue covered in this R&P Report, please email us at research@nwyc.com.

Electric Supply Chain: The House is set to consider H.R.3638, which would mandate the Department of Energy to assess and report on the nation's electricity supply chain vulnerabilities, focusing on critical materials, manufacturing, and foreign reliance, aiming to boost domestic production for national security and reliability, especially with rising demand from AI and data centers. It's a key piece of legislation alongside broader supply chain efforts like the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act.

State Planning for Reliability and Affordability: The House will also consider H.R.3628, which creates a new federal standard that state regulatory entities must consider when making policy focusing on energy reliability, encouraging affordability for ratepayers.

Increasing Investor Opportunities: They will also take up H.R.3383, which aims to ease capital access for small businesses via modernized SEC rules, expand access to private markets via Closed-End Funds (CEFs), and streamline IPOs, while also highlighting broader trends like increased allocations to private equity/alternatives, global investments (especially with a weaker dollar), and mega-trends like AI, energy transition, and longevity. 

Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure: The House is set to consider H.R.3898, which limits the scope of the Clean Water Act by redefining navigable waters to exclude (1) waste treatment systems, (2) ephemeral features that flow only in direct response to precipitation, (3) prior converted cropland, (4) groundwater, or (5) any other features determined to be excluded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 For additional information or an opinion ballot on any issue covered in this R&P Report, please email us at research@nwyc.com. 

Continuing Resolution: The House passed H.R.5371 (217-212), which extends federal funding at current levels without any other policy changes. It would keep the government open through Nov. 21st. Leaders in both parties reached a deal to tee up a pair of votes on their competing approaches to averting a partial government shutdown. Under the agreement, if the House passes the GOP's spending bill (which they did), the Senate first would take up an alternative proposal Democrats unveiled (S.2882), subject to a 60-vote passage threshold.

If Democrats couldn’t get their bill passed, which they didn’t, then the chamber would proceed to a vote on the House-passed CR, also with a 60-vote threshold. That vote also failed. The idea was that the votes would give both sides proof that they need to start hashing out a compromise that could get to President Donald Trump's desk before the spending deadline on September 30th. The Republican stopgap would extend current funding through Nov. 21. The Democrats' version would end on Oct. 31, and adds a permanent extension of enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year

DC CRIMES: The House passed H.R.4922 (240-179), which asserts congressional authority over the District by prohibiting the D.C. Council from advancing progressive, soft-on-crime sentencing policies. It lowers D.C.’s definition of a “youth” from under 25 years old to under 18, ensuring that individuals 18 and older are treated and tried as adults in the criminal justice system. The bill also removes judicial discretion to sentence youth offenders below the mandatory minimum and requires the D.C. Attorney General to establish a public website reporting juvenile crime statistics.

District of Columbia Policing Protection: The House passed H.R.5143 (245-182), which would repeal restrictions on the circumstances under which law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia (DC) may engage in vehicular pursuits (i.e., police chases) of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles, and instead generally requires such pursuits in the absence of other means of apprehension.

District of Columbia Judicial Nominations Reform: The House passed H.R.5125 (218-211), which would terminate the District of Columbia (DC) Judicial Nomination Commission. Currently, the commission recommends to the President nominees for judges for DC's Superior Court and Court of Appeals, who must then be confirmed by the Senate. The commission also appoints the chief judges for these courts. The bill terminates the commission's involvement in nominations and requires the President to appoint the chief judges.

Honoring our Heroes: The House passed H.R.2721, which would establish and implement a two-year pilot program to furnish, when requested, an appropriate headstone or burial marker to commemorate covered veterans. Covered veterans are veterans who died on or before November 1, 1990, and were released or discharged from service under conditions other than dishonorable. Currently, these benefits are only available to eligible veterans who died on or after November 1, 1990.

Territorial Response and Access to Veterans’ Essential Lifecare: The House passed H.R.3400, which addresses the critical lack of accessible veterans’ healthcare in the smaller, remote areas like the CNMI. The legislation empowers the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assign traveling VA physicians to aid underserved communities, providing them with much- needed medical services. These physicians will receive a travel bonus and will be assigned to serve select regions for up to one year, helping to provide a sustained presence in the community.

Promoting Cross-border Energy Infrastructure: The House passed H.R.3062 (224-203), which replaces the Presidential permit requirement with a more transparent and effective review process by authorizing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review applications for cross-border oil and natural gas pipelines, and the Department of Energy to review applications for cross-border transmission facilities.

National Coal Council Reestablishment: The House passed H.R.3015 (217-209), which makes the National Coal Council permanent by removing requirements under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to re-charter every two years, therefore preventing future administrations from disbanding this essential council. 

GRID Power: The House passed H.R.1047 (216-206), which provides Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators with authority to prioritize energy projects that are ready to bring more baseload power onto the grid immediately, improving grid reliability and resiliency and helping to meet the demand of industrial and household customers alike.

Congress will be on Recess the week of September 22nd through the 26th. They will return to normally scheduled business on Sept. 29th. Be looking for your next R&P on Oct. 6th. 

Stop Illegal Entry: The House passed H.R.3486 (226-197), which would increase criminal penalties for non-US citizens who illegally cross the border multiple times. The measure would increase the maximum allowed prison sentences — and in some cases set mandatory minimum sentences — for noncitizens who are caught more than once entering or attempting to enter the US without inspection or through willfully fraudulent means. It also would increase the length of prison sentences for noncitizens who enter, attempt to enter, or are found in the country after having been ordered deported.

Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization: The House passed H.R.3838 (231-196), which authorizes the President's request of $882.6 billion in discretionary funding, including $33.8 billion for Energy Department nuclear weapons development and associated activities. For the Defense Department it authorizes $295.1 billion for operation and maintenance, $153.2 billion for weapons and other procurement (including President Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense), $142.4 billion for research and development, $193.9 billion for personnel, and $41.0 billion for the defense health program.

It restricts the President's ability to withdraw U.S. troops in Europe unless the Pentagon certifies it is in U.S. national interests; authorizes funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative; and codifies President Trump's executive orders ending Pentagon DEI and other initiatives. House Democrats scored a major victory with the repeal of the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force against Iraq—which provide statutory authorization to the president to justify military action or counter specific threats abroad. Republicans backed amendments barring healthcare access to transgender troops and their families with a handful of Democrats joining them in support. They also supported a provision blocking men at military academies from participating in activities and athletics designated for women.

Transitioning Retiring and New Service Members: The House passed H.R.3055, which requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop and make public the Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan. Among other elements, the plan must identify (1) barriers and challenges of veterans and members of the Armed Forces who are eligible for counseling under the Transition Assistance Program in searching or training for employment in the supply chain industry, and (2) challenges that supply chain employers face when recruiting, hiring, or retaining veterans and such members of the Armed Forces.

Personnel Oversight and Shift Tracking: The House passed H.R.3425, which improves safety at federal buildings by addressing security failures, improving training for contract guards, and making critical improvements to the Federal Protective Service’s (FPS) shift tracking system. The bill improves safety by linking contract guard training to demonstrated security failures and requiring updates to the personnel tracking system to ensure adequate staffing at security posts and better communication with tenant agencies.

Shared Property Agency Collaboration and Engagement:   The House passed H.R.3424, which would expand on public buildings reforms that were included in the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 by directing the General Services Administration (GSA) to collaborate with federal tenants on shared-space arrangements, develop criteria for expanded space-sharing, and identify special-use spaces that can improve space sharing. This bill continues the Committee’s work to reduce the federal real estate footprint and ensure taxpayer dollars are only supporting necessary workspace – not unused or empty buildings.

Continuing Resolution: House GOP leaders are considering bringing to the floor this week a stopgap funding bill to extend current spending levels through late November or early December. The measure would be "clean," according to the sources, without partisan policy riders or an extension of the enhanced health insurance tax credits that expire at the end of the year. A shorter CR would also mean another opportunity for supporters to attach a Medicaid subsidy extension to a must-pass vehicle before they expire after Dec. 31.

Energy Bills: The House looks to consider several energy measures that would reestablish the National Coal Council (H.R. 3015), modify the approval process for cross-border energy projects (H.R. 2883), and prioritize power plants’ connection to the electric grid (H.R. 1047).

FY26 Energy-Water Appropriations: The House passed H.R.4553 (214-213), which would provide the Energy Department, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and related agencies would receive $57.3 billion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2026. The total would be a $766.4 million decrease from fiscal 2025, according to a summary from House Appropriations Committee Republicans. The measure would provide $33.2 billion in defense funding and $24.1 billion in non-defense funding.

The measure would provide new funding to support nuclear reactor projects while cutting funds for nuclear cleanup and clean energy projects. It would block diversity initiatives and changes made to rename military facilities honoring the Confederacy. It also would bar agencies from issuing rules with major economic effects.

Made-in-America Defense: The House passed H.R.4216, which aims to boost American defense exports by simplifying regulations and increasing access for U.S. manufacturers to supply allied nations with defense equipment. It promotes domestic industry by making a list of restricted defense items public and requiring annual review and potential removal of restrictions, which currently slow sales through government channels. 

Stop Chinese Fentanyl: The House passed H.R.747, which sanctions opioid manufacturers in China and holds the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for their role in the deadly opioid crisis plaguing American communities. The bill would amend the “Fentanyl Sanctions Act” and enable the U.S. government to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and organizations involved in the production, sale, financing, or transportation of synthetic opioids or their precursor chemicals. Entities that fail to cooperate with U.S. counternarcotics efforts would be designated as foreign opioid traffickers.

The House passed three joint resolutions aimed at rolling back several Bureau of Land Management plans which were put in place under the Biden administration:

• BLM Montana Management Plan: The House passed H.J.Res.104 (211-208), which resolution nullifies the Bureau of Land Management's "Miles City Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment" issued in November 2024 which generally prohibits BLM from issuing any new coal leases for certain public lands under the jurisdiction of the Miles City Field Office in Montana.

• BLM North Dakota Management Plan: The House passed H.J.Res.106 (215-210), which nullifies BLM's "North Dakota Field Office Record of Decision and Approved Resource Manage Plan" issued in January 2025 which limits development of oil and gas in low-potential areas and new coal leasing to areas within four miles of existing mines on public lands under the jurisdiction of the North Dakota Field Office.

• BLM Alaska Management Plan: The House passed H.J.Res.105 (215-211), which nullifies BLM's "Central Yukon Record of Decision and Approved Resource Management Plan" issued in November 2024 which designated 3.6 million acres as areas of "critical environmental concern" in the Central Yukon planning area, effectively limiting mining claims and oil and gas development on such lands.

Stop Illegal Entry: The House is set to begin mark-up of H.R.3486, which would increase penalties for aliens who illegally enter or reenter the United States, particularly those with prior felony convictions or multiple previous removals.

Modernize the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Acquisition System: The House Committee on Rules may meet this week to provide for floor consideration the H.R.3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery (SPEED) Act. The bill fundamentally reforms the Defense Acquisition System (DAS) to cut red tape and deliver capabilities to servicemembers as quickly and effectively as possible.

Government Funding: The odds of a partial government shutdown may be decreasing after the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee cautiously embraced an emerging GOP game plan for a stopgap spending measure. That support, however, hinges on such a measure avoiding partisan policy riders and funding cuts and extending no longer than a few months.

National Defense Authorization (NDAA): The Senate voted (84-14) to move forward with consideration of S.2296. The Senate’s version of the NDAA would authorize US defense and national security programs to receive $925.8 billion. The bill would more than double funding for military construction, and it would authorize a roughly 12% boost above the request for procurement.

It would set an end-strength military force limit of 1.3 million active duty personnel, and support a 3.8% pay increase for military personnel. It would authorize $500 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and extend it through 2028. It would also set policies for the development and deployment of the domestic Golden Dome missile defense program and provide up to $200 million to support Israel’s missile defense systems.