WASHINGTON UPDATES

Good afternoon! The House and Senate are in recess; the Senate returns June 1 and the House June 2. U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire near the Strait of Hormuz as negotiators pursued a two-month ceasefire extension. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned...

Good afternoon! Congress adjourned for the Memorial Day recess at the end of this week, postponing several major legislative debates until June. Senate Republicans shelved their immigration funding package over disagreements over a new Department of Justice (DOJ) fund. House leaders also withdrew...

Good afternoon! The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced a 5-year, $580 billion surface reauthorization bill Sunday evening, with a markup session possible later this week. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations process continues on Capitol Hill, with Acting Attorney General Blanche testifying...

Good afternoon! President Trump’s two-day Beijing summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on trade, energy, and Iran, with Democratic attempts to pass war powers resolutions on the Iran conflict failing in the House and Senate for the third and seventh times, respectively....

Good afternoon! Congress returns from recess to a busy week. Congressional Republicans face a self-imposed June 1 deadline to pass a $72 billion budget reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement. Funding for President Trump’s ballroom facility may also be included. The Senate will...

Good afternoon! President Trump set a July 4 deadline for the European Union to ratify its trade agreement with the U.S. or face higher auto tariffs. The president met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and asserted the U.S.-Iran cease-fire remains...

Good afternoon! It is a quiet week on Capitol Hill as both the House and Senate are in recess. President Trump ordered a high-profile naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz and sent the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to Paris for negotiations...

Good afternoon! Congress cleared major legislation before departing for a weeklong recess. The House adopted a budget resolution, a first step in Congressional Republicans’ plan to fund the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs & Border Protection (CBP). The House cleared a...

Good afternoon! The impact of Saturday night’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner looms over the week ahead on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers in both parties pressing to end the partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown even as an impasse over...

Good afternoon! House and Senate Committees continue hearings with cabinet secretaries and senior Administration officials this week regarding the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget request. In the Senate, Republicans advanced a budget resolution intended to fund the Department of Homeland Security and...

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...

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...