PSW Weekly Round-Up - 4/27

Legislative Update

House. On the House agenda this week is the FY 2026 budget resolution that the Senate approved 50-48 at 3:22 a.m. on April 23 after a six-hour vote-a-rama. The resolution, which provides reconciliation instructions to provide three years of funding for ICE and border protection programs, is not broad enough in the eyes of some House Republicans, who want to add other provisions. However, House leadership is hoping to get almost all Republicans on board to pass both the rule for floor consideration and the budget resolution itself this week.

If the House clears the budget resolution, there’s a possibility it could also take up and approve the Senate-passed measure providing funding for all Homeland Security programs except for ICE and Customs and Border Protection. A group of House Republicans has been unwilling to move this version of the Homeland Security funding bill until the reconciliation bill is approved, but Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is telling lawmakers that funds to pay DHS employees will run out after April 30.

On Thursday, the House is planning to vote on a five-year farm bill, which would modify and reauthorize federal farm programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through FY2031. Various lawmakers have concerns with the bill, but the main source of conflict is disagreement over a provision that would protect pesticide manufacturers from certain liability suits.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will also try again to pass legislation to extend the authorization for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). After the House failed on April 17 to pass an 18-month extension because of bipartisan concerns over data collection, the House instead approved a 10-day extension, through April 30. Johnson is now proposing a three-year extension that establishes new review requirements for U.S. intelligence agencies monitoring electronic communications of foreign nationals. The House plans to consider the revised FISA proposal as an amendment to an unrelated Senate-passed bill in order to speed up Senate consideration.

Senate. If the House approves its FISA bill, the Senate will take it up this week, facing an April 30 deadline for action. The Senate also has its own three-year extension bill it could vote on if the House fails to pass its version. On Tuesday afternoon, Senators will go to the House chambers for a joint meeting of Congress to hear an address from King Charles III. It will be the first address by a British monarch since a 1991 speech by Queen Elizabeth II. At the end of the week, both chambers will take a break, returning the week of May 11, when the Senate could take up reconciliation legislation and the nomination of Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve Board.

Committee Action of Note:

Monday, April 27

• House Rules Committee Meeting to formulate a rule on the following measures:
  • H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026
  • H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act
  • S. Con. Res. 33, U.S. Government congressional budget for FY 26 and appropriate budgetary levels for FYs 27-35
  • S. 1318, vehicle for the Foreign Intelligence Accountability Act
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Budget Hearing: Environmental Protection Agency
• Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing: “Testimony on the Department of Defense missile defense activities in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY 27 and the Future Years Defense Program”

Tuesday, April 28

• House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment Hearing: President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• House Financial Services Committee Hearing: “Prioritizing Main Street: Evaluating the Impact of Capital Proposals on Economic Growth and American Communities”
• House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government Hearing: “From Tool to Weapon: The FACE Act and the Dangers of Federalizing Criminal Law”
• House Ways and Means Committee Hearing with Health System CEOs
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment Hearing: FY 27 Environmental Protection Agency Budget
• House Appropriations Committee Markup: FY 27 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Bill
• House Armed Services Committee Meeting: Department of Defense FY 27 Budget Request
• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Hearing: President’s FY 27 Budget Request for the Department of Education
• Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing: “Open/Closed: Testimony on the posture of U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Cyber Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY 27 and the Future Years Defense Program”

Wednesday, April 29

• House Financial Services Committee Hearing: “Task Force on Monetary Policy, Treasury Market Resilience, and Economic Prosperity: Examining Derivatives’ Role in the Treasury Market”
• House Appropriations Committee Markup: FY 27 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Hearing: “Powering the 21st Century with American Copper”
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy Hearing: “AI and the Grid: Meeting Growing Power Demand While Protecting Ratepayers”
• House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Hearing: “Speech or Silence? The Future of the First Amendment in Higher Education”
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Hearing: “Healthier America: Legislative Proposals on the Regulation and Oversight of Food”
• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Hearing: Budget Request for the Department of the Interior for FY 27
• Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution Hearing: “Protecting American Citizenship III: Denaturalization and its Constitutional Limits”
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing: “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed FY 27 Budget”
• Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Hearing: “Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals”
• Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee to vote on the nomination of Kevin Warsh to be a Member and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Thursday, April 30

• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Budget Hearing: United States Air Force and Space Force

• Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Hearing: President’s FY 27 Budget Request for the U.S. Forest Service

Executive Actions of Note

On April 20, President Trump issued five presidential determinations invoking the Defense Production Act to facilitate the use of funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for a wide range of energy projects.

• Presidential Determination Concerning the Air Force’s Jet Fighter Training Operations in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada - April 20, 2026
• Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Domestic Petroleum Production, Refining, and Logistics Capacity - April 20, 2026
• Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Coal Supply Chains and Baseload Power Generation Capacity - April 20, 2026
• Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Natural Gas Transmission, Processing, Storage, and Liquefied Natural Gas Capacity - April 20, 2026
• Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Development, Manufacturing, and Deployment of Large-Scale Energy and Energy Related Infrastructure - April 20, 2026
• Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Grid Infrastructure, Equipment, and Supply Chain Capacity - April 20, 2026

Political Update

House Vacancies. With the April 21 resignation of Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and the April 22 death of Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), there are now two more vacancies in the House. In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is not required to call a special election to fill Cherfilus-McCormick’s 20^th Congressional District seat before the Nov. 3 general election, and many observers expect that to be the case, with party candidates chosen in the regularly scheduled Aug. 18 primary.

In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is required to announce a special election within 10 days of a vacancy. A special election must be held no less than 30 days after it is called. All candidates for the 13^th Congressional District seat will appear on the same ballot, and a runoff will be necessary between the top two finishers if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.

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