Monday, July 6, 2026

The House and Senate are out this week. They return next week to a crowded agenda and a short timeline that will test whether Congress can move a stack of must-pass bills before the respective current laws expire. President Trump travels to Turkey to attend the annual NATO summit.

WHITE HOUSE

• President Trump will attend the annual NATO summit in Turkey this week. He is scheduled to arrive in Ankara on Tuesday to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, followed by a head-of-state dinner with NATO leaders. The main session will take place on Wednesday morning. President Trump will then meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, hold a news conference, and return to Washington that afternoon.
• NATO Secretary Mark Rutte plans to highlight his initiative for an additional $139 billion in defense spending last year by European members and Canada, as part of a commitment for each country to allocate 5% of economic output to defense by 2035. NATO diplomats are also finalizing a $70 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which will be announced at the summit. The United States will not contribute to this package but has not objected to the supportive language.

CONGRESS

• The Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has passed both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The Senate is scheduled to consider the legislation before the August recess. The House version is stalled after the rule setting terms for floor debate failed on June 30. The NDAA sets Pentagon policy and historically passes with bipartisan support. The current NDAA expires December 31.
• FY27 appropriation funding is at an impasse. The House Appropriations Committee has cleared all 12 bills; the Senate committee has passed none. Negotiations between Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) are stalled because the two parties cannot agree on a total top-line funding amount. Lawmakers must enact the FY27 bills, or pass a continuing resolution to fund programs at FY26 funding levels, before October 1 to avert a lapse in funding.
• The current 5-year surface transportation law, the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, expires September 30. The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved its reauthorization bill, the BUILD America 250 Act, on May 22. Three Senate Committees have jurisdiction over the bill, and none have released text. Given the limited time Congress has left in session before September 30, an extension of current law is likely.
• The Farm bill has not been fully reauthorized since 2018. The House passed its version on April 30. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released text on June 23 and intends to mark up the bill in committee before the Senate leaves for August recess. Several USDA agriculture programs will expire September 30. As in previous years, an extension of current program authorization is likely.
• The current Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform water infrastructure projects, expires December 31. The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee has released legislative text and is scheduled to mark up the bill in July. The Senate Environmental & Public Works Committee has not yet acted. WRDA is customarily bipartisan legislation and while timing is uncertain, it is likely to pass before the current law expires.
• While not facing a deadline, permitting reform may be one of the few bipartisan bills to pass Congress this year. Negotiations are moving forward this week. Before leaving on June 24, Republicans gave Democrats a full proposal for overhauling permitting rules. Democrats are reviewing, and House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) says both sides are making progress. Four senators are leading discussions in the other chamber: Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) from the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Mike Lee (R-UT) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The bill is focused on making permitting more predictable, preventing the executive branch from revoking approved permits, and addressing the speed at which construction can begin. Negotiators warn that if they do not make real progress this month, momentum could be lost.
• House Republicans are working on a third budget reconciliation bill to boost defense funding that would also include the voter identification SAVE America Act legislation. House Republican leaders hope to bring the resolution to the floor before the August recess, an aggressive timeline that will be difficult to achieve. The Senate Budget Committee does not intend to act before House passage, which makes final passage unlikely before Congress recesses for the month of October.

NOMINATIONS

• The Senate will soon consider confirmations of high-ranking Trump administration nominees. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche goes before the Judiciary Committee on July 15 for the permanent post. Other nominations waiting for Senate action include Keith Sonderling for Secretary of Labor and Lance Schroyer to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• The confirmation of Jay Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence could pave the way for the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Republicans believe that confirming Clayton would end opposition to renewing Section 702, which authorizes the warrantless collection of communications of non-U.S. persons located outside the country. Section 702 expired June 12.