National Association of Towns and Townships - www.natat.org
How Townships can access clean energy tax credits in the form of direct pay/transferability
2025 NATAT Policy Platform
NATaT Tax Priorities
NATaT Transportation Reauthorization Priorities
NATaT December 2024 Annual Meeting
Jerry B. Crabtree, Heidi Fought (Ohio ED), Past President Neil Sheradin (Michigan Ed), and NATaT President Dave Sanko (PA ED)
NATaT Weekly Legislative Report
June 1, 2026
Congressional Outlook
The House and Senate are back in Washington this week, with the Senate returning Monday and the House on Wednesday.
After a one-week recess, the Senate will continue its consideration of the $72 billion budget reconciliation package which primarily funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through Fiscal Year (FY) 2029. The Senate was on track to consider amendments to the bill on May 21, however, negotiations blew up following the White House’s announcement of the creation of a separate, controversial $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that would issue payouts to those who believe they were wronged by the government. Because the fund and the budget reconciliation bill are both, in part, under the purview of the Senate Judiciary Committee, an unlimited series of votes on the bill known as a vote-a-rama would open up opportunities for Senate Democrats to force Republicans to take painful amendment votes related to the fund. A number of Republican senators emerged from a tense meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche last month voicing sharp disapproval of the fund and advocating for guardrails around how the money is distributed. The Senate will likely begin the vote-a-rama on the bill on Wednesday evening, followed by a vote on final passage Thursday morning after an overnight marathon. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told the Senate Democratic Caucus in a “Dear Colleague” letter Monday morning that they are launching “a coordinated effort to kill the slush fund before one cent goes out the door. And no matter what Republicans do, we will force them to vote.”
The House is scheduled to consider 15 bills under suspension of the rules, including the Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN) Act (H.R. 1687), which requires the Interior Department to hold lease sales every year in states with land areas nominated for geothermal development and expedites consideration of geothermal drilling permits; and the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act (H.R. 5631), which expedites federal permitting for geothermal energy exploration and development projects, directs the Interior Department to establish dispute resolution services for geothermal project applicants, and modifies royalty processing and fee collection on geothermal federal land leases. For the remainder of the week, the House will vote on the Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026 (H.R. 7726), which imposes new restrictions and requirements aimed at minimizing improper or fraudulent payments on the Child Care and Development Block Grant program; the
Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act (H.R. 8872), which applies program integrity requirements to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, sets a new income eligibility ceiling of twice the federal poverty level starting Oct. 1, 2027, and requires states to spend federal TANF grants within three years; the FY 2027 Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA spending bill (H.R. 8646),
which provides $26.3 billion in discretionary funding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a 1.4% cut from FY26 levels; and the No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 (H.R. 7892), which requires the Education Department to screen federal student financial aid applications for identity fraud and requires additional ID verification by schools. The House may also vote on a War Powers resolution (H. Con. Res. 86) directing an end to the U.S. military campaign against Iran that began on Feb. 28; a War Powers resolution (H. Con. Res. 84) directing the removal of U.S. forces from Lebanon; and the Ukraine Support Act (H.R. 2913), authorizing additional U.S. security assistance and economic investment for Ukraine.
Over the course of the week, the House will conduct 24 committee hearings and markups, including an Appropriations Committee markup of the FY27 Interior-Environment and Transportation-HUD spending bills; an Appropriations Subcommittee markup of the FY27 Labor-HHS-Education and Homeland Security spending bills; an Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hearing on Building an AI-Ready America: Higher Education in the Age of AI; an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade hearing on Examining Legislation to Establish a Federal Comprehensive Privacy and Data Security Law; a Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment hearing on Advancing Environmental Protection Through Science and Technology; a House Ways and Means hearing with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; an Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations hearing with the Commissioners of the Postal Regulatory Commission; and a Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection hearing on The AI Security Landscape: How Frontier Models, Agentic AI, and AI Coding Tools Are Reshaping Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Resilience.
The Senate will consider several nominations, including Kathleen Lane to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Montana; and Jeffrey Kuhlman to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Kansas. In addition to the budget reconciliation bill, the Senate will likely hold a procedural vote on Thursday on FISA Section 702, which is set to expire on Friday, June 12. Negotiators are close to a bipartisan deal that would reauthorize FISA Section 702 for three years, according to multiple sources involved in the talks. Aides in both parties expect the final product to pass with support from a majority of Senate Republicans and a minority of Democratic senators. The negotiated bill is expected to include a key sweetener to attract votes from privacy hawks who have long called for reforms to Section 702: a provision that narrows the definition of an electronic communications service provider.
Throughout the week, the chamber will hold 20 committee hearings and markups, including an Appropriations Committee markup of the FY27 Agriculture; Legislative Branch; and Commerce-Justice-Science
spending bills; a Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries hearing to examine the blue economy, focusing on advancing American fisheries, maritime strength, and coastal economies; a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine gender transition procedures on minors; a Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing to examine college sports, supporting student athletes, and fair competition; a Judiciary Committee hearing to examine protecting American citizenship, focusing on denaturalization and its constitutional limits; and a Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing to examine the burden of federal benefits cliffs on small businesses and workers.
On Tuesday, voters in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota head to the polls to vote in Democratic and Republican primary elections for U.S. House and Senate seats.
Week in Review
Trump faces mounting pressure as Republicans revolt
Republicans still stuck on party-line immigration bill
A federal judge in D.C. declines to block Trump's executive order on voting by mail
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch
Fears of travel chaos flare as Mullin weighs pulling customs officers from Newark airport
Judge agrees to review Trump's $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund
Iran halts ceasefire talks with US, says it will keep Strait of Hormuz closed
Trump pledges to protect the crypto industry and ensure prediction markets ‘thrive’