The House adjourned for August recess this week and will return in September. Before leaving, the House passed a $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill, a budget resolution for a $95 billion reconciliation package, and a ban on member stock purchases. The Senate will leave for August recess at the end of next week after one more week of votes. On Thursday, Congress was divided on the Iran conflict: the House approved a nonbinding resolution urging President Trump to end the war, while the Senate blocked a binding measure. President Trump threatened further strikes after attacks on two Saudi tankers raised Brent crude prices above $100 per barrel. The administration imposed new tariffs on 60 trading partners and signed a 30-year civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia.
WHITE HOUSE
-
President Trump threatened expanded military action against Iran and the Houthis on Thursday after Iran’s Yemeni proxy attacked two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea. On Truth Social, he warned that “major military punishment” would follow continued attacks on shipping. United States Central Command reported that Wednesday night’s operations, part of 12 consecutive nights of strikes, targeted maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage, coastal surveillance, and air defense assets. Four U.S. service members died over the weekend: three in an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan and one in Iraq during a controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone. Brent crude surpassed $100 a barrel Thursday for the first time since May, and AAA reported the national average gasoline price at just above $4 per gallon.
-
The Office of the United States Trade Representative imposed new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 trading partners at 12:01 a.m. Friday. These partners represent 99.4% of U.S. trade. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the final action Thursday, following a Section 301 investigation under the Trade Act of 1974 into partners that do not ban or enforce bans on goods made with forced labor. Economies that maintain or have committed to such prohibitions through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade receive the 10% rate; others receive 12.5%. Canada, Mexico, India, and the United Kingdom are in the lower tier. These duties replace the temporary 10% global import surcharge under Section 122 of the same act, which expired simultaneously.
- Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed a 30-year civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, allowing for potential uranium enrichment within the kingdom. Secretary Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman signed both the 123 agreements, named for the relevant section of the Atomic Energy Act, and a separate bilateral safeguards agreement. The agreement requires Saudi Arabia to use American companies to build its reactors and allows enrichment only if a two-year joint study determines it is warranted and commercially viable. This agreement now moves to Congress for statutory review.
SENATE
-
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee postponed Thursday’s vote to advance Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to attendance issues, rescheduling for next week. The agency has lacked a Senate-confirmed director for nearly a year since Susan Monarez resigned less than a month into the role over disagreements with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya has served as interim CDC director since February.
-
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) filed cloture Wednesday on Jay Clayton’s nomination as director of national intelligence, setting up a confirmation vote as early as next week. The Senate Intelligence Committee advanced the nomination 9-8 along party lines Tuesday. A Senate aide indicated the cloture vote could occur Monday, with final confirmation expected a few days later.
- Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) failed Thursday to discharge his binding joint resolution to end U.S. involvement in the Iran war from the Foreign Relations Committee. The 47-49 vote was largely along party lines. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) again supported the measure, while Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) again opposed it, breaking with Democrats.
HOUSE
-
The House passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday, 216-212, with votes largely along party lines. House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) advocated for the bill, stating that Congress must address decades of underinvestment in the armed forces and defense industrial base, and pledged to work through conference toward a bill both chambers can support. Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) opposed the bill, citing its cost and lack of constraints on the Iran war. Seven Republicans opposed this bill while six Democrats voted in support. The NDAA authorizes $1.15 trillion for the Pentagon, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and other national security programs. It would rename the Pentagon the Department of War, restore the 2023 non-Confederate names of nine Army bases, and allow the military to repair its own equipment.
-
The House adopted a FY 2027 budget resolution along party lines Wednesday, 216-214, paving the way for a $95 billion reconciliation package focused primarily on the Iran war. The resolution directs the Armed Services, Agriculture, Administration, and Intelligence committees to draft legislation that House Republicans aim to advance in September, allocating up to $73 billion for defense and intelligence, $12 billion for farm aid, and $10 billion for voter identification requirements.
-
The House passed the Stop Insider Trading Act on Wednesday, 232-198, prohibiting members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing new stocks. Members may retain existing holdings and sell them with public notice for at least seven days and no more than 14 days in advance. Violators would face Ethics Committee penalties of $2,000 or 10% of the transaction value, whichever is greater, plus any net gains realized.
- The House voted 214-208 Thursday to urge President Trump to end the Iran war, adopting a nonbinding concurrent resolution from Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Warren Davidson (R-OH), and Tom Barrett (R-MI) joined Democrats in supporting the concurrent resolution. This is the second such House vote. Because a concurrent resolution does not reach the President’s desk, it cannot compel withdrawal, a limitation Democrats acknowledge while arguing that repeated votes put Republicans on record.
