Good afternoon! House and Senate Committees held hearings with Trump administration heads regarding the president’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget request. Senate Republicans spent much of the week finalizing a budget resolution intended to end the 60-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The House Appropriations Committee subcommittee that allocates funding for veterans’ programs passed its FY27 bill. The House advanced a 10-day extension of Section 702 surveillance authority, which the Senate passed hours later. Two House Committees announced they are working to bring major legislation to the floor before the end of the month. President Trump signed into law two small business reauthorization programs, and announced the Iranian government agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
WHITE HOUSE
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Today President Trump announced the Iranian government has agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz after Isreal and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. Yesterday the president noted the Iran war “should be ending pretty soon,” with the next round of U.S.-Iran talks potentially occurring this weekend in Pakistan. According to a Pakistani mediator, both sides may sign a memorandum of understanding at the meeting, with a comprehensive agreement possible within 60 days.
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Several Trump administration cabinet secretaries and agency heads testified before House and Senate committees to defend and support the administration’s FY27 budget request. Officials testifying included Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought.
- President Trump signed the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act, reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through fiscal year 2031. These programs, known as “America’s Seed Fund,” provide federal grants to small businesses for high-risk research and development with commercial potential. Eleven federal agencies have SBIR and STTR grant programs.
SENATE
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Senate Republicans are preparing a budget resolution to enable a $70 billion reconciliation bill focused on immigration enforcement. This is the first step toward ending the two-month Department of Homeland Security shutdown. The resolution, drafted by Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol for approximately three years. The measure is expected to go directly to the floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the resolution could reach the floor as early as next week, with a budget reconciliation bill to follow soon after.
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Early Friday the Senate passed a 10-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which the House had passed hours earlier. The law was set to expire Monday. Section 702 authorizes the warrantless collection of communications of foreigners both abroad and on U.S. soil and can inadvertently sweep up communications involving Americans.
- The Senate voted 47 to 52 on Wednesday to block a resolution by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) that would have required the president to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran without formal congressional authorization. Democrats have filed ten more War Powers resolutions to force additional floor votes. The 1973 War Powers Act sets a 60-day limit for presidential military action without congressional authorization, a threshold the Iran conflict will reach on April 29.
HOUSE
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The House Appropriations Committee’s Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee passed its FY27 funding bill. The bill provides $152 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of three percent above FY26 levels, and $300 billion to fund mandatory programs. The legislation also provides $19 billion dollars for military construction. The full committee is expected consider the bill next week.
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The House voted early Friday to extend Section 702 of the FISA for 10 days, allowing the program to remain in place until April 30. Earlier in the week Speaker Johnson had attempted to pass a longer term reauthorization bill but did not have the support of enough Republicans to secure passage.
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House Republican leadership announced its intention to bring the Farm bill authorization bill to the floor by the end of April. Congress has not fully updated the Farm bill since 2018, resulting in three consecutive extensions. The current extension expires September 30, 2026.
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-MO) is targeting an April 29 markup of a five year surface transportation reauthorization bill, though he noted negotiations with Democrats are ongoing. The current reauthorization law expires September 30, 2026.
- On Thursday, the House narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution to end hostilities with Iran in a 213 to 214 vote.
