NATaT Weekly Legislative Report

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NATaT Weekly Legislative Report

July 20, 2026

Congressional Outlook

The House and Senate are in session this week.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is angling to pass several major bills this week before the chamber’s planned August recess begins on Thursday, including one that would launch the third partisan budget reconciliation effort of the current 119th Congress. House leaders scheduled a vote on Tuesday on the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 (H.R. 9770), a stopgap funding measure providing funding for the federal government at enacted Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 levels through Friday, December 4, which extends about a month past the midterm elections. In addition, the House is set to vote on the FY 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8800), a 1,600-page bill authorizing troop pay, military construction, and industrial base policies.

On Wednesday, the House is slated to vote on a FY 2027 budget resolution clearing the way for Republicans to begin drafting legislation totaling $95 billion for some of the Trump administration's key priorities. The Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for FY 2027 (H.Con.Res.113) authorizes the House Agriculture, Armed Services, Intelligence, and Administration Committees to adopt recommendations by September 11, which include additional funding for the Iran war, farm assistance, and election changes related to the SAVE America Act that President Donald Trump is pursuing. If the House is able to pass the stopgap funding bill and the FY27 budget resolution this week, the problem remains in the upper chamber, where Senate GOP leadership has not provided any guarantee that either of those measures could see Senate floor action before the Senate’s summer recess begins on August 6. To make matters worse for the House plan, Senate Republicans are working through anomalies with the White House to prepare for a continuing resolution package, signaling that they will more than likely reject the proposal from Speaker Johnson and wait to consider their own version of a stopgap measure, likely in September.

The House returns on Monday evening and is scheduled to consider 24 bills under suspension of the rules; including the Kay Hagan Tick Act (H.R. 4348), which reauthorizes, through FY 2030, activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address vector-borne diseases, including a national strategy, grants for regional centers of excellence, and cooperative agreements with state, local, and tribal health departments; the School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2026 (H.R. 8209), which reauthorizes, through FY 2031, grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration for school-based health centers; the Action for Dental Health Act (H.R. 2001), which reauthorizes, through FY 2030, grants to states for developing the dental workforce and increasing access to oral health services; the EARLY Act Reauthorization of 2025 (H.R. 4541), which reauthorizes, through FY 2030, and makes changes to, the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program; and the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2025 (H.R. 1722), which requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance directing federal agencies to annually submit specified information to OMB regarding certain federally funded projects that are more than five years behind schedule or have expenditures that are at least $1 billion more than the original cost estimate for the project.

The chamber will also consider six resolutions and bills pursuant to a rule including: the FY27 budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 113); the Continuing Resolution temporarily funding the entire federal government from October 1 through December 4, 2026; the House’s version of the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8800); the Stop Insider Trading Act (H.R. 7008), which prohibits Members of Congress and their spouses and dependent children from purchasing stocks and requires public notice before these individuals may sell stocks; the Main Street Capital Access Act (H.R. 6955), which overhauls federal banking regulatory, examination, and merger policies; and the Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act (H.R. 8844), which authorizes the Social Security Administration’s to launch demonstration projects meant to encourage people with disabilities to either return to work or remain at work.

Throughout the week, the House will hold 31 committee hearings and markups; including an Appropriations Committee hearing on Funding Lapses: Analyzing Shutdown Reform; an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on Protecting Communications Networks and Improving Connectivity; a Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on Failure at the Front Gate: Examining VA Police and Security Deficiencies; and a Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance hearing on Oversight of the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

The Senate also returns on Monday evening and is scheduled to vote on a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Benjamin M. Flowers to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. Over the course of the week, the chamber will hold 16 committee hearings and markups; including an Appropriations Committee hearing to review the President’s supplemental funding request to pay for the U.S.’ conflict with Iran; an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission; an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing to consider the nomination of Kevin Lilly to be Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife; and a Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness hearing to examine measuring what matters, focusing on science, standards, and strategic competition.

On Tuesday, voters in Arizona head to the polls to vote in Republican and Democratic primary elections for nine U.S. House races.

Week in Review

Congressional Committees Advance WRDA 2026 Water Infrastructure Bills

Budget resolution faces dicey House vote after committee approval

US House passes bill to make daylight saving time permanent

House passes State Department funding bill for fiscal year 2027

Senate Democrats block $1.15 trillion defense authorization bill

Trump urges Republicans to unite behind budget resolution amid floor rebellion

3 U.S. troops killed, dozens wounded as repeat attacks on base in Jordan raise questions

At a fiery hearing, President Trump’s pick for Attorney General faces tough questions

Mullin threatens states as DHS launches widespread review of elections

Trump alleges ‘shocking’ election vulnerabilities

DHS could weigh immigrants' use of Medicaid, food and housing help in green card decisions

Sen. Darline Graham will run for full term to replace brother Lindsey