Skip to content
News and updates

News and updates

House and Senate Return, Briefly

Posted on

The House and Senate both return for a jam-packed week, but with a Trump-signed continuing resolution (PL 119-103) funding the government through December 11, Congress doesn’t have any pressing bills that are essential to pass before the November midterms. The House is expected to only be in session this week, before their members return to the districts to campaign for reelection.

On the Hill this week:

  • Senate Republican leadership hopes to line up a vote on the Protect College Sports Act. Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell had been pushing for a vote before August recess.
  • FBI Director Kash Patel testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee today.
  • Senator Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday, the first time he had been seen since his last vote in June. He continues to hold a seat on the influential Appropriations Committee, which has just a one-vote Republican majority. His lengthy absence meant Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins postponed scheduling any mark-ups of the 12 regular spending bills.
  • A procedural vote is expected on the cryptocurrency regulations CLARITY Act (HR 3633), which has been intensely debated for months, particularly over ethics provisions preventing elected officials profiting from crypto.

House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill

Posted on

This afternoon, the House passed a stopgap funding bill in a 370-48 vote, averting a government shutdown looming at the end of the month, and instead setting up a funding fight for after the midterm elections. The Senate already passed the bill before they left for recess, and it now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed.

The continuing resolution will keep federal funding at its current levels through December 11. Both Democrats and Republicans were eager to avoid a repeat of extended government shutdowns which have shadowed over the past two years.

The bill continues to temporarily block OMB from implementing the uniform guidance changes, a key issue for many Democrats supporting the bill.

August Recess Updates

Posted on

August recess has officially begun! The Senate left town on Saturday and will return September 14. The House returns August 31.

Short-term funding bill passed:

Early on Saturday, the Senate passed HR 6500, in a 90-6 vote. The continuing resolution (CR) extends current funding levels through December 11, averting a government shutdown in September before the midterm elections. The Senate version is an expanded version of the recent House CR, meaning House members will need to vote again on the final measure once they return. President Trump has already indicated he would sign the CR in its current form.

UG revisions temporarily blocked: 

On a positive note, the Senate bill blocks OMB from implementing its proposed changes to Uniform Guidance through December 11. The House version did not include blocking language on uniform guidance.

NIL bill punted to September:

Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) were hopeful that their co-sponsored bill, The Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668), would receive a vote before recess, but last-minute debate bumped it until September. The bill would establish rules for athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL), and address revenue sharing, athlete eligibility, and transfers, among other details. It has sparked extensive debate among lawmakers, universities, and athletic conferences.

Cantwell suggested that Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had “set a date certain in September to bring it up.”

New attorney general:

Todd Blanche was narrowly confirmed by the Senate early Saturday morning as the new U.S. Attorney General. All Democrats, as well as Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, voted against him, for a final 50-49 vote.

Farewell pennies? 

And finally, it may officially be the end of the road for the one cent coin. On Friday, the Senate passed by unanimous consent S. 1525, which would direct the Treasury secretary to end production of pennies. The Senate bill is similar to HR 3074, which the House passed on July 14. Both bills would codify President Trump’s February 2025 directive to the Treasury department to end penny manufacturing.

Senate Confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as CDC Director

Posted on

On Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency’s first full-time leader in nearly a year. The 51-44 vote fell along party lines, with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) as the only Democrat to vote in her favor. Dr. Schwartz was a deputy surgeon general in Trump’s first administration and is Trump’s third nominee for CDC director in two years. She takes the lead at an agency that has faced a wave of challenges since Health Secretary Kennedy took office, including losing about a third of its staff to layoffs and resignations, the firing of former director Susan Monarez after clashes over vaccine policy, and dealing with several high-profile outbreaks.

Dr. Schwartz has expressed strong support for Kennedy’s “Make Health Healthy Again” agenda. She has publicly supported vaccines but dodged specific questions during her confirmation hearing about potential political interference from Kennedy.

How Will the Primary Results Affect Washington’s Congressional Delegation?

Posted on

Polls closed last night for Washington state’s August 4 primary elections. At the federal level, incumbents are running for reelection in nine of Washington’s ten congressional districts. Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse is retiring after six terms, leaving an open seat in District 4. In Washington state, the top two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party. While not all the votes have been counted, as of this morning the Associated Press has called the results for eight districts. Additional vote analysis is available here from the Associated Press.

District 1:

Rep. Suzan DelBene (D) won 54.5% of the vote and will advance to face Mary Silva (R) in the general election.

District 2:

Rep. Rick Larsen (D) won 44.9% of the vote and will face Edwin Fuller (R) in November.

District 3:

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) won 38.9% of the vote and will face State Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R), who won 38.7% of the vote.

District 3 has drawn national attention for being one of the most competitive House races to watch in a true tossup district. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez is running for reelection for the seat that she first narrowly flipped in 2022. State Sen. John Braun has President Trump’s endorsement and will be competing against Gluesenkamp Perez in a district that Trump won in 2024.

District 4:

Amanda McKinney (R) won 34.9% of the vote and will face John Duresky (D) in November.

District 5:

Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R) won 48% of the vote. A second candidate has not yet been called.

District 6:

Rep. Emily Randall (D) won 60.3% of the vote and will face Teresa Fox (R) in November.

District 7:

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D) won 83.3% of the vote and will face Nirav Sheth (R) in November.

District 8:

Rep. Kim Schrier (D) won 54.1% of the vote. A second candidate has not yet been called.

District 9:

Rep. Adam Smith (D) won 51% of the vote and will face Doug Basler (R) in November.

District 10:

Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D) won 49.3% of the vote and will face Chris Chung (R) in November.