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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

May 5, 2026

Congressional Outlook

The House and Senate are in recess this week. Congress last week ended the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history and now faces an uphill battle to finish a plethora of legislative items before the end of the current fiscal year on September 30 and ahead of an immensely contentious midterm election.

After a 76-day saga, Congress finally ended the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Last Thursday, Congress cleared legislation funding all elements of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Security Operations of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as the House agreed to the Senate’s version to reopen DHS with limited modifications. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law on Thursday afternoon. As lawmakers look to finally move forward to other legislative matters, House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) wants the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act (H.R. 5870) passed alongside any September funding package following the near 11-week shutdown. The bill, co-sponsored by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), would keep funding flowing during a lapse, restrict lawmakers from traveling or adjourning, and limit congressional action to funding legislation until a deal is reached.

On Monday evening, the two committees of jurisdiction in the Senate responsible for funding ICE and CBP through the budget reconciliation process released their versions of text for the package, which Congressional Republican leaders aim to pass by June 1. The Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees, led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), respectively, shared legislative text totaling $71.7 billion in spending for the two main agencies not funded in the recently passed FY26 DHS spending bill. The Judiciary Committee legislation includes $30 billion in funding for ICE and $3.4 billion for CBP through FY 2029, while providing $1 billion in funds to pay the Secret Service for “security adjustments and upgrades” associated with the proposed White House State Ballroom. The Homeland Security Committee portion of the bill includes $19.1 billion for personnel within CBP, $7.4 billion for Homeland Security Investigations agents and $3.4 billion for technology to enhance border protection. Homeland Security Chair Paul plans to vote later this month to advance the bill and Republicans are able to do so with party line votes, not needing to pass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, known as the filibuster. The Senate committees will likely markup and pass their portions of the bill during the week of May 11, followed by Senate and House floor votes on the final budget reconciliation bill during the week of May 18.

In the lower chamber, House Republican leadership could opt to bring an amended bipartisan housing bill to the House floor as early as next week. The 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R.6644), which the Senate passed on March 12 by a vote of 89-10, amends numerous federal housing programs, including by expanding available financing for affordable housing and providing grants for planning and community development activities. The amended bipartisan housing legislation, a product of collaboration between House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), would be a response to the Senate-passed package that met resistance in the lower chamber. House GOP leaders are considering putting the amended House bill under an expedited suspension vote requiring two-thirds of the chamber to support the legislation. It is unclear what changes the House made to their version of the bill, but one of the largest issues preventing agreement between the House and Senate is the Senate’s inclusion of a provision requiring single-family homes built by large institutional investors as long-term rental units to be sold to individual homebuyers after seven years.

Next week, the House will take up the first of the House Appropriations Committee’s twelve FY 2027 spending bills, the FY27 Military Construction – Veterans Affairs spending bill (H.R. 8469). The legislation, if passed, provides $157 billion in discretionary funding, up $4 billion or nearly 3 percent from enacted FY26 funding levels, and also includes $444.7 million in FY27 Community Project Funding (i.e., earmarks) for 18 projects. House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has continued the Committee’s torrent pace to complete markups for the remaining FY27 spending bills. To-date, the full Committee has marked up four of the FY27 spending bills (MilCon-VA; Financial Services-General Government; National Security-State; and Agriculture), and plans to markup the remaining eight FY27 spending bills between May 13 and June 24.

The House will also likely vote next week on the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act (H.R. 2616), which requires public elementary and middle schools that receive funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to obtain parental consent before changing a minor’s gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on any school form or sex-based accommodations, including locker rooms or bathrooms; and the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 (H.R. 1346), which amends the Clean Air Act to address the limitations on Reid Vapor Pressure (a measure of gasoline's volatility) that are placed on gasoline during the summer ozone season.

When the Senate returns to Washington next week, it will consider a package of 49 pending executive nominations, in addition to the nomination of Kevin Warsh to serve as the new Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years (and separately, as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of fourteen years). The four-year term of current Fed Chair Jerome Powell ends on Friday, May 15—he has served in that role since February 2018.

On Tuesday, voters in Indiana and Ohio head to the polls to vote in Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. House and Senate races.