PSW Weekly Round-Up - 11/17

Legislative Update

House. Two of the measures on this week’s House agenda have drawn particular attention. The first is legislation that would require the Justice Department to publicly release documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. With the measure having enough support for passage, President Trump said on social media Sunday night that House Republicans should support the bill. Today he said he would sign the bill if it reached his desk.

The second is a bill that would repeal a provision in the recently enacted continuing resolution (CR) that allows Senators to sue for damages if their phone records had been obtained as part of the investigation into the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The provision, which would allow Senators to receive $500,000 per violation as well as legal fees, was added to the CR by the Senate but condemned by many House members. Given strong bipartisan opposition to the provision, the House plans to consider the repeal bill under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage.

Senate. The Senate will continue to consider nominations and might consider a package of FY 2026 appropriations bills. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has indicated that he would like to take up the Defense funding bill and, with unanimous consent, attach as many as four additional bills – Labor-HHS-Education, Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior-Environment, and Transportation-HUD. At least one Senator has already said he would object to adding the Interior bill, and others could object to the package moving forward at this time. At the end of the week, both the House and Senate will recess for Thanksgiving, returning Dec. 1.

Committee Action of Note

Tuesday, November 18

• House Judiciary Committee markup to consider various measures, including:
  • H.R. 5713, Expedited Removal of Criminal Aliens Act
  • H.R. 4711, Rapid Expulsion of Migrant Offenders who Violate and Evade Act (REMOVE Act)
  • H.R. 2675, Protecting Our Courts from Foreign Manipulation Act of 2025
  • H.R. 1109, Litigation Transparency Act of 2025
• House Financial Services Committee hearing: "The Future of Deposit Insurance: Exploring the Coverage, Costs, and Depositor Confidence"
• House Education and Workforce Committee hearing: "The Future of College: Harnessing Innovation to Improve Outcomes and Lower Costs"
• House Budget Committee Oversight hearing of the Congressional Budget Office with Phillip Swagel, CBO Director
• House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing: "Innovation with Integrity: Examining the Risks and Benefits of AI Chatbots"
• Senate Judiciary Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights Subcommittee hearing: "Impeachment: Holding Rogue Judges Responsible"

Wednesday, November 19

• House Administration Committee hearing: "Taking Stock of the STOCK Act"
• House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party hearing: "Predatory Pricing: How the Chinese Communist Party Manipulates Global Mineral Prices to Maintain Its Dominance"
• House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing: "E-Verify: Ensuring Lawful Employment in America"
• House Natural Resources Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee hearing on various measures including:
  • H.R. 5696, STREAMLINE Act
• House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing: "Modernizing Care Coordination to Prevent and Treat Chronic Disease"
• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing: "Examining the BLM Land Use Planning Process Under FLPMA"
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing: "The Future of PFAS Cleanup and Disposal Policy"
• Senate Finance Committee hearing: "The Rising Cost of Health Care: Considering Meaningful Solutions for all Americans"
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee markup to consider the nominations of:
  • John DeLeeuw to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board
  • Ryan McCormack to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy
  • Trent Morse to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
  • Timothy Petty to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
  • Michelle A. Schultz to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board
• Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee markup to consider the nominations of:
  • Joseph Gormley to be President, Government National Mortgage Association
  • Francis Cassidy to be Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
  • Paul Hollis to be Director of the Mint
  • Travis Hill to be Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
• Senate Judiciary Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee hearing: "ICE Under Fire: The Radical Left’s Crusade Against Immigration Enforcement"
• Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing: "Trump’s Regulatory Rollback: Saving Americans $907 Billion and Counting"

Thursday, November 20

• House Small Business Committee hearing: "Made in the USA: How Main Street is Revitalizing Domestic Manufacturing"
• House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee hearing: "Export Control Loopholes: Chipmaking Tools and Their Subcomponents"
• House Judiciary Committee hearing: Member Day

• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing: "The Future of Retirement"

Friday, November 21

• House Education and Workforce Committee hearing: Member Day

Tariff Update

Agricultural Products. On Friday, Nov. 14, President Trump issued an Executive Order lowering tariffs on various agricultural products. According to a White House fact sheet, these include “coffee and tea; tropical fruits and fruit juices; cocoa and spices; bananas, oranges, and tomatoes; and beef;” as well as some fertilizers. Friday’s order exempts the products from reciprocal tariffs and applies to products from all countries, regardless of whether they have reached a trade agreement with the U.S.

In a separate announcement on Nov. 13, the White House said it had reached a trade deal with Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala to eliminate U.S. tariffs on goods not produced in significant quantities in the United States. This includes coffee, cocoa, and bananas.

Switzerland. Also on Nov. 13, the Trump administration said it had reached a framework for a deal to cut tariffs on goods imported from Switzerland from 39% to 15%. The lower tariff rate is expected to be effective within “days, weeks,” according to a Swiss official. In return, Swiss companies have pledged to invest $200 billion in the U.S. by the end of 2028. Switzerland also agreed to remove its own import duties on certain U.S. industrial products, fish, seafood, and specific agricultural products like beef, bison, and poultry within set quotas. More talks are set to take place to finalize details of the deal, which will need approval by the Swiss parliament.

Recent Executive Action of Note

• Modifying The Scope Of The Reciprocal Tariff With Respect To Certain Agricultural Products - Nov. 14, 2025
• Fostering the Future for American Children and Families - Nov. 13, 2025

Political Update

House Additions and Subtractions. On Nov. 12, the party breakdown in the House saw an addition to the Democratic side of the ledger, with the swearing in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) who won the special election in September to succeed her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.). However, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), who won the Nov. 4 gubernatorial race in New Jersey, said she will submit her resignation this week. Once Sherrill’s resignation is effective, there will be 219 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and three vacancies.

One of those vacancies is the 7^th Congressional District seat in Tennessee of former Rep. Mark Green (R), who resigned in July. Green’s successor will be chosen in a Dec. 2 special election. The other vacancy is Texas’ 18^th Congressional District, where two Democrats will face each other in a Jan. 31 special election runoff to fill the seat of the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D), who died in March.

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