Good afternoon! Both the House and Senate convene today to begin another busy week. Over the weekend, the U.S. Navy seized an Iranian cargo ship amid Iran’s reimposed control over the Strait of Hormuz, casting uncertainty over the prospective peace talks before the ceasefire expires on Wednesday. Back in Washington, Trump Administration department and agency leads will continue to testify in support of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget request before House and Senate Committees of jurisdiction this week.
WHITE HOUSE
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The U.S. Navy disabled and captured an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, issued a statement after firing upon the cargo ship that the ship failed for six hours to comply with warnings to stop. Iran continues to control the waterway after its temporary reopening.
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This development cast further doubt on prospective peace talks in Pakistan this week before the current ceasefire expires Wednesday. Traffic through Hormuz is at a near standstill after the waterway’s brief reopening.
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Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are scheduled to depart for Islamabad Monday night for talks on Tuesday. An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters today that their government has no plans to attend the potential negotiations, though a final decision has not been made.
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Lawmakers in Congress continue to wait for further details regarding the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) Iran supplemental funding request the White House is reviewing.
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President Trump is expected to sign a 10-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) into law ahead of its expiration tonight. There are bipartisan privacy concerns in both the House and Senate regarding any long-term extension.
- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer is in Mexico this morning for meetings with President Claudia Sheinbaum and top trade officials, as Washington and Mexico City ramp up negotiations ahead of this summer’s review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
SENATE
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Senate Republicans are aiming to move forward this week with a budget resolution for a reconciliation bill that funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the first procedural step in ending the months-long shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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This procedural step is part of a two-track process with the House to end DHS’ funding lapse. GOP leadership said it hopes to adopt the resolution by the end of this week, which in turn would instruct policy committees to write underlying legislation providing about $65-75 billion for immigration enforcement.
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The Senate will also pick up the pace on hearings this week for Trump’s FY27 budget request. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, leadership of the National Guard, and the US Capitol Police and Senate Sergeant at Arms are scheduled to testify.
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President Trump’s nominee to be the next Federal Reserve Chair, Kevin Warsh, will take questions from Senate Banking Committee members Tuesday morning. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has said that he will continue to block Warsh’s confirmation over the ongoing federal criminal investigation into current Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell.
- USTR Jamieson Greer is set to testify before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday regarding the President’s trade and manufacturing agenda.
HOUSE
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The House may consider the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Homeland Security funding bill; DHS has not been funded for nearly two months. House leadership postponed action before Easter recess, opting to wait for progress on budget reconciliation legislation before funding non-immigration components of DHS including the Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
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The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up two of its proposed Fiscal Year 2027 spending packages starting Tuesday covering Financial Services-General Government as well as Military Construction-Veterans Affairs appropriations. Both were approved by their respective subcommittees last Friday.
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The House will consider a number of environmental bills, such as a reauthorization and amendment to the Endangered Species Act, as well as an amendment to the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. The American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025 and the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act are also on the agenda this week.
- USTR Jamieson Greer is set to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday regarding the President’s trade and manufacturing agenda.
