June 29, 2026

Note: In observance of Independence Day, our next Weekly will arrive on July 6.

WHITE HOUSE

• The Supreme Court issued several rulings today, with more decisions pending as it prepares to adjourn for its annual summer recess. It overturned a 91-year-old precedent that prevented presidents from removing members of independent agencies without cause. In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled that President Trump’s March 2025 dismissal of Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter without cause was lawful. This decision reverses a 1935 precedent that protected the Federal Trade Commission from at-will firings, based on the view that its work was not purely executive. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, stated that officials exercising presidential power must be subject to removal by the president.

• The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook may remain in her position while her removal case proceeds in lower courts, preserving the central bank’s independence for now. This decision accompanied the broader ruling expanding presidential authority to remove officials at other independent agencies without cause. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts identified the Federal Reserve as an agency that may retain protection from at-will removal, distinguishing it from other independent agencies.
• The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Mississippi law allowing election officials to count mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received up to five days later, preserving similar laws in more than two dozen states. The 5-4 decision, written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, found that federal election law does not require ballots to be received by Election Day.
• Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought is scheduled to testify this week before the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the office to defend the administration’s $87.6 billion supplemental funding request, which includes $67.1 billion for defense related to the recent conflict with Iran. The package also included approximately $10 billion in aid for farmers and $1.4 billion for the State Department to address the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. Lawmakers are expected to ask Vought about OMB decisions to rescind or pause previously approved grants as well as a proposed federal financial assistance rule.
• The United States and Iran have agreed to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping after renewed combat over the weekend. The conflict began Thursday when an oil tanker was attacked in the Strait, an incident the United States attributed to Iran, though Iran did not claim responsibility. In response, the U.S. military targeted sites in Iran on Friday and Saturday. Iran then launched strikes at U.S. bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, but no damage was reported. Neither government has publicly confirmed the new agreement, and negotiations are expected to continue this week.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Israel and Lebanon have reached a framework agreement, describing it as a first step toward peace after months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States participated in the announcement. The agreement does not include Hezbollah, and a Hezbollah leader warned of continued conflict in response.

SENATE

• The Senate is out of session in observance of Independence Day. They will return on July 13.

HOUSE

• The House is scheduled to take up the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and National Security-State appropriations bill this week. The Rules Committee meets this afternoon to set the terms for both bills, and dozens of amendments are expected to be made in order. Passage of these and other pending bills is uncertain, as votes were canceled last week after conservatives blocked several pieces of legislation from advancing to the House floor. The members declared they would not allow votes on major legislation until the Senate acted on the SAVE Act, a voter identification bill.

• Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) stated that although they were originally intended to be considered last week, the FY27 Energy & Water funding bill and a veterans’ benefits package, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, will instead be considered after the July 4th recess.
• The House is scheduled to vote today on the bipartisan ‘Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act. Approved by the Energy & Commerce Committee, the bill consolidates 12 measures addressing parental controls for online gaming, messaging services, and artificial intelligence chatbots. There remain differences between the House and Senate versions. The bill is being considered under suspension of the rules, which fast-tracks the process, bars amendments, and requires a two-thirds majority to pass.