PSW Weekly Round-Up - 2/24

Legislative Update

Senate. The Senate will continue to consider nominations, including a vote on Jamieson Greer to be U.S. Trade Representative. On Thursday, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will vote on the nomination of former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be Labor Secretary. PSW has kept tabs on all the nominations, which can be found at our PSW Confirmation Tracker.

The Senate will also vote on a Democratic resolution that would terminate President Trump’s Executive Order declaring a national energy emergency. National emergencies are subject to a Congressional review process that allows for expedited votes on measures to block them, but the resolution is expected to fail in the Republican-controlled Senate.

House. Two Congressional Review Act resolutions targeting Biden Administration rules are on the schedule this week. One would reverse EPA’s rule imposing fees on oil and natural gas companies that emit methane above certain levels, and the other would cancel the Energy Department’s rule setting higher energy efficiency standards for gas-burning tankless water heaters. Speaker Mike Johnson also plans for the House to vote Tuesday evening on its version of the FY 2025 budget resolution.

Budget Resolution. It remains unclear whether Johnson will have the votes to pass the budget resolution, given that he can only afford to lose one vote on both the rule for floor consideration and the vote on the resolution itself if all members are present and voting (and assuming all Democrats are present and vote “no”). There are currently 218 Republicans and 215 Democrats in the House, with two vacancies, but Democratic Rep. Kevin Mullin of California is recovering from an infection after knee surgery and may not be able to be in D.C. for the vote. Even if Mullin is absent, Johnson could still afford to lose only two Republican votes.

The House budget resolution provides instructions for a single reconciliation bill that would extend expiring tax cuts, slash government spending by $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion over 10 years, address certain border, defense, and energy priorities, and increase the debt limit by $4 trillion, an amount that is expected to allow the Treasury to keep meeting the federal government’s financial obligations for approximately two years. While budget resolutions do not include specific policy changes, a number of Republicans are concerned about the size of cuts envisioned for Medicaid and other social services programs, while others believe the resolution doesn’t provide for enough deficit reduction.

If Johnson is able to muster a majority for the budget resolution, the Senate may not be amenable to passing it without changes. The Senate passed its version 52-48 in the early morning hours of Friday, Feb. 21, after a 10-hour vote-a-rama. The Senate version provides reconciliation instructions only for the border, defense, and energy issues and does not include instructions for tax cuts, large-scale spending cuts, or an increase in the debt ceiling. While Senate Republicans will be willing to approve a budget resolution that provides for tax cuts, major issues that may need to be resolved between the House and Senate include the size and duration of the tax cuts, where spending can be reduced, and whether the reconciliation process should be used to increase the debt limit. Of course, the Senate also has the option of taking up a House-passed budget resolution and approving it with no changes.

Committee Action of Note

Tuesday, February 25

• Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing to consider the nomination of Stephen A. Feinberg to be Deputy Secretary of Defense
• House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade Hearing: American Trade Enforcement Priorities
• House Financial Services Committee Hearing: Examining Policies to Counter China
• House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Military and Foreign Affairs Hearing: “Emerging Global Threats: Putting America’s National Security First”
• Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Hearing to consider the nominations of Michael Kratsios to lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Mark Meador to serve as a Federal Trade Commissioner
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: "Full Blast: Contrasting Momentum in the Space Mining Economy to the Terrestrial Mining Regulatory Morass"
• House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Hearing: Missed Milestones: Evaluating The Last Four Years in the EAP Region and Unseized Opportunities Under President Trump

Wednesday, February 26

• House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Hearing: Leading the Charge: Opportunities to Strengthen America's Energy Reliability
• House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets Hearing: The Future of American Capital: Strengthening Public and Private Markets by Increasing Investor Access and Facilitating Capital Formation
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing: "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Implementation and Case Studies.”
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Hearing: An Examination of How Reining in PBMs Will Drive Competition and Lower Costs for Patients
• House Education and the Workforce Committee: "Unleashing America's Workforce and Strengthening Our Economy"
• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Hearing: "Perspectives From the Field: Farmer and Rancher Views on the Agricultural Economy, Part 2."
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: "Examining the Biden Administration's Energy and Environment Spending Push."
• Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Hearing: "Interdicting Illicit Drug Trafficking: A View from the Front Lines."
• Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing: "Exploring Bipartisan Legislative Frameworks for Digital Assets."

Thursday, February 27

• Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing to consider the nomination of John C. Phelan to be Secretary of the Navy
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Hearing to consider the nomination of Steven Bradbury to be Deputy Secretary of Transportation
• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Markup to vote on the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer to be Secretary of Labor
• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Hearing to consider the nomination of Keith Sonderling to serve as Deputy Secretary of Labor
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Hearing: "Grand Theft Cargo: Examining a Costly Threat to Consumers and the U.S. Supply Chain."

Recent Executive Actions of Note

Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Trump has signed over 70 Executive Orders. Once they are published in the Federal Register, the EOs can be found here, while all presidential actions can be found on the White House website here. Recent presidential actions include:

• America First Investment Policy - February 21, 2025
• Defending American Companies and Innovators From Overseas Extortion and Unfair Fines and Penalties - February 21, 2025
• Commencing The Reduction of The Federal Bureaucracy - February 19, 2025
• Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative - February 19, 2025
• Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders - February 19, 2025
• Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies - February 18, 2025

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